The SkillMill Project - mobile app that makes complex learning resources accessible to students

The SkillMill project combines career counselling, psychology and game design to develop an app that helps us identify, understand & verbalize the Soft Skill trainings we gain in international study experiences, internships and professional lives.

SkillMill bridges international studies and employability by helping users translate relevant international experiences into soft skills learning experiences. This is done by reflecting on meaningful events in student mobility, internships, field studies and internationalisation at home, and connecting them to relevant soft skills.

In the process of bringing their hidden skills to light, users build a journal of experiences and skills that can provide both greater self-confidence and concrete advantages in the transition from studies into professional life. SkillMill is a digital, pedagogical resource in the format of a mobile app that makes complex learning resources accessible to students.

This is done by adapting resources such as established skills taxonomies (e.g. WEF, UNESCO, OECD, ESCO) and career counselling methods into a game design framework, available in student’s phones before, during and after international learning experiences.

This way, SkillMill aims to provide users with a safe and personal step-by-step reflection process, which helps them connect personal experiences.

SkillMill prioritises personal empowerment, through awareness of one’s capabilities and understanding of employer perspectives, over quantitative measuring of soft skills. By aiding in the discovery of meaningful learning even in challenging experiences, SkillMill encourages students to be mindful of the value of diverse experiences within and outside of the classroom. This can be particularly important for students in times of change and life transitions, or when actively stepping outside their comfort zone