The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

SFIA Accredited Practitioner

The SFIA Accredited Practitioner level is intended for those individuals who, typically, use SFIA internally and operationally within an organisation, but are generally not leading skills management or organisational design activities. They may be acting within a client under the guidance of a SFIA Accredited Consultant or working towards becoming accredited as a consultant.

This is a SFIA Level 4 role.  A SFIA Accredited Practitioner may support and guide the adoption and use of SFIA or work on operational people /skills management activities using SFIA.  This level may be considered a stepping stone to SFIA Accredited Consultant (where such an applicant may have less SFIA experience than is required for Accredited Consultant).  They may work under the guidance of a SFIA Accredited Consultant or indeed work alone where SFIA related mechanisms are already in place or of narrow scope.

Supporting documents...

  • A SFIA Accredited Practitioner generic profile may be found here.
  • A SFIA Accredited Practitioner application form, including application guidance may be found here.

Please note...

The scope of SFIA activities within an organisation can be very broad and it is not expected that all activities or requirements mentioned in the Generic Role Profile are demonstrated.  Any application for SFIA Accredited Practitioner should be made having referred to this generic profile and reading associated guidance documentation. 

Application for SFIA Accredited Practitioner

It is up to the applicant to demonstrate their experience of using SFIA in real world environments at an appropriate level.  Success in an application is more likely if evidence to demonstrate experience is readily available to the assessor.

An application should consist of the following:

  • A completed application form detailing experience in the application and use of SFIA in real-world situations
  • A detailed career history or CV
  • References where possible
  • Evidence of successful completion of appropriate level of SFIA training

Mandatory requirements

The following requirements are for this role:

  • SFIA Training: Satisfactorily completed Authorised SFIA Practitioner-level training or higher
  • Demonstrate practical experience of implementing and using SFIA
  • Provide evidence of having seen through at least one implementation of SFIA, or performed an operational role using SFIA.  Experience may be limited to one organisation, or simple range of contexts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to identify SFIA skills needed for a defined job or role.  
  • Demonstrate the knowledge of how SFIA could be used in different management situations (recruitment, deployment, assessment, development, remuneration policy, etc.).  

Desirable characteristics

These desirable characteristics must show experience in various processes of skills management albeit at a lower level than for Accredited Consultants.  It is likely that this experience may be limited to one organisation or one area within an organisation and that not all of the desirable characteristics can be demonstrated.

  • Contribute to setting corporate policies and strategies for the management of people and skills
  • Rolling out and applying corporate policies for people management.
  • Engaging with senior management, understanding the key people management requirements and advising on people management strategies.

SFIA Levels of Responsibility

It is a mandatory requirement that a SFIA Accredited Practitioner is able to demonstrate that they have operated as below:

  • Autonomy Level 4
  • Influence Level 4
  • Complexity Level 4
  • Knowledge level 4
  • Business Skills Level 4

Professional skills

As the scope of SFIA related work may be very broad, no particular SFIA Professional Skills are mandated for a SFIA Accredited Practitioner.  However, the SFIA Accredited Practitioner Generic Profile lists 12 professional skills that are the most likely to be able to be demonstrated.  A candidate must be able to demonstrate at least 3.

How to apply

To apply for accreditation you will need to be assessed:

  1. Attend an official SFIA Training Course run by an accredited SFIA Training Provider.
  2. Complete the accredited Practitioner application form 
  3. Submit an up-to-date CV. This documentation must be submitted personally by the applicant.
  4. Send the application form and your CV for evaluation to our Business Administrator
  5. We will send you an invoice for the evaluation fee. See our payment details here: how to pay us

Note that the documentation must be sent by you personally, not by anyone else: not even by your employer.

When the assessment has been completed, you will receive a reply telling you if your application has been accepted.

If your application is successful, you will need to pay the annual Accredited Practitioner fee as defined in our General Terms and Conditions.

If the application is not accepted, the Foundation will not review further applications until at least 12 months have elapsed.

To remain a SFIA Accredited Practitioner you will need to continue to pay the annual fee as defined in the General Terms and Conditions.