SFIA Learning Hub

SFIA essentials

Builds on the home page

About SFIA

• What it is, who uses it, design principles
• Builds on home page with more depth

The SFIA Foundation

• More about the global, not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains SFIA as an open, accessible resource

The SFIA Community

• Committed to openness, collaboration, and supporting skills development for individuals and employers worldwide

Who uses SFIA?

• SFIA is used by a diverse array of users spanning multiple industry sectors and global regions.

How SFIA works

Core structural understanding

How SFIA works 

• Levels of responsibilities and skills
• Central to understanding - the "how it all fits together" piece
• Essential before diving into framework details

SFIA Levels of responsibility

• Deep dive into the backbone of SFIA
• Follows naturally after understanding the overall structure

SFIA professional skills

• Completes the structural understanding
• Shows how skills connect to levels

Context & application 

Professional development focus

The context for SFIA

• Experience-based framework concept
• Bridge between understanding structure and applying it

SFIA and skills management

• How to use SFIA in practice
• Real-world application across the skills management cycle

Help and resources

• A range of help and resources to help you apply SFIA 

Getting oriented

Navigation and next steps

Browsing SFIA

• Practical navigation guide
• Should come after understanding what you're browsing

Introduction to SFIA documentation

• Orientation to available resources
• Helps learners navigate what's available

What licence do you need?

• Free licence available for individuals and small/medium employers (registration required)
• A modest licence fee for large enterprises and for commercial use

Contact the SFIA Foundation

• Strategic partnerships
• Licensing questions
• The SFIA community ecosystem

Getting help with SFIA

• There is an active global ecosystem of SFIA Partners, SFIA Consultants and Practitioners. They are available for advice on adopting SFIA. 
• If you have any questions which are not answered on this website; please contact the SFIA General Manager
• In line with it's purpose, the SFIA Foundation welcomes queries from everyone. No query is too small or too large.  We speak with many organisations around the world who are looking for guidance and orientation to their use of SFIA.

Recognition for your employees

• SFIA Foundation level
• SFIA Accredited Practitioner
• SFIA Accredited Consultant

Getting the Most from SFIA Training

• Instructor-led training: SFIA Foundation-accredited instructor-led training is the most effective way to develop a solid understanding of how to use the SFIA Framework. Look for opportunities to practice applying SFIA with expert feedback through practical exercises.
• Implementation focus: Effective training should emphasise how to apply SFIA to deliver tangible organisational benefits, including skills gap analysis, career pathing, workforce planning, and talent development strategies.
• Standardised quality - Accredited training follows the SFIA Foundation's standard syllabus and expected learning outcomes  and ensures consistent learning outcomes across all providers. 
• Authorised providers: The SFIA Foundation only permits accredited courses to be delivered by certified SFIA Accredited Consultants.
• Practical experience: SFIA Accredited Consultants bring active experience in skills management, offering valuable insights beyond just framework knowledge.
  

Training providers

• Assess Management / ValidateSkills.com
• Australian Computer Society
• Digital Skills Agency
• Lexonis
• Learning Tree
• SkillsTx

• Australian Government Public Service - internal for public service employees

SFIA Accredited Consultants

• Accredited consultants can also provide specific SFIA education and learning as part of their SFIA projects with their clients

Testing your understanding of SFIA

• A 10 minute quiz on SFIA fundamentals
• Route map to essential SFIA knowledge - route map and 30 minute on-line test to ensure that those working with, or advising on, SFIA have consistent and strong foundation of knowledge and understanding.

SFIA guiding principles

• Summary/reinforcement of key concepts
• Good stepping stone to practical application

SFIA fundamentals - in pictures

• view / download slides
• great for your own learning and/or explaining SFIA to your own stakeholders

Knowledge, skill and competency

• How the SFIA framework describes these 
• Important clarification for skills management applications

Why skills are not defined at all 7 levels

• One of the most common questions for new users
• Fits here as it explains design logic

Why don’t you just tell me exactly what to do?

• SFIA is a flexible framework, not a rigid rulebook
  
• This does mean that you need to think about - and take ownership for - the specific ways you use it.

User forum

• Sharing good practice and ideas
• Resources to help you explain SFIA to your stakeholders

SFIA skills-based job analysis - evolving community practice

• Practical guidelines for aligning SFIA skills and levels to jobs/roles
• Foundation for skills-based people management
  

Job architecture - evolving community practice

• Framework for organising and managing jobs within an organisation
• Components include job families, job levels, job descriptions, and required skills

Learning and development catalogues

• Collection of professional development opportunities 
  
• Provides an accessible overview of training options
  
• Balanced approach - 70-20-10 
  
• Aligns with SFIA to bridge gap between technology-specific training and workplace competencies

Mapping learning products to SFIA - evolving community practice

• Guidelines for determining which SFIA skills a training course helps develop
  
• Formal learning only contributes to SFIA skill development (following 70-20-10 model)
  

70-20-10 - evolving community practice

• Framework based on 70% learning happening on-the-job, 20% through interactions with others, 10% through formal training
  
• Supports continuous learning culture and learning in the flow of work

Standard industry skills profiles

• Collection of generic SFIA skills mappings to common role families and career groups
  
• Quick-start reference covering roles from major organizations (UK Government, Australian Public Service, EU, NIST)
  
• Must be tailored to your specific context - not for off-the-shelf use
  
• Includes role families, job levels, and example job titles without prescribed SFIA levels

Bodies of Knowledge

• Guidance on relationship between SFIA skills, competency levels, and industry knowledge
  
• SFIA provides universal skills framework while disciplines develop their own knowledge bases
  
• Knowledge integrated through generic attributes at each SFIA level of responsibility
  
• Collaborative approach with industry bodies maintaining specialised knowledge domains

SFIA user stories

• Real-world experiences from organizations using SFIA across different sectors
  
• Case studies from universities, military, public sector, and private companies
  
• Examples of SFIA implementation for apprenticeships, recruitment, performance reviews, and career development
  
• Webinar recordings and conference presentations showcasing practical applications

SFIA assessment

• Using SFIA to assess skills and competencies
• Guidance to support diverse approaches and promote consistency
• Assessment types - Skills profile assessment, Role profile assessment, Certified Professional assessment
  
• Different approaches to assessment rigour and validity: self assessment (self assertion), independent/objective assessment, certified assessment

SFIA digital credentials

• Digital badge schemes for SFIA training completion, accredited practitioners, and skills assessment
  
• Based on international standards (ISO/IEC 17024 and 24773) and SFIA Foundation requirements
  
• Three schemes covering training badges, practitioner accreditation, and individual skill assessment
  
• Issued by SFIA Foundation or approved Global Partner organizations

Visual guide to SFIA self-assessment

• Three-stage process: Preparation, Assessment, and Next Steps
  
• Flexible approach from high-level "scoping skills" to detailed "evidence-based" assessment
  
• Tools for extracting value including motivated skills analysis and job crafting
  
• Iterative process supporting reflection and professional development planning

Cybersecurity  skills framework

• Skills-based approach for cybersecurity talent management addressing skill shortages
  
• Seven levels of responsibility emphasizing practical skills over academic knowledge
  
• Covers both specialist cybersecurity roles and security elements in other roles
  
• Enables comprehensive embedding of secure practices across the organization with clear skill descriptions

Cloud skills framework

• Strategic skills-based approach for cloud computing transformation and migration
  
• Supports both technical operations transition and cloud-native capability enhancement
  
• Covers full spectrum from basic cloud tasks to strategic leadership
  
• Broad-based framework addressing technical, business, and security disciplines rather than just vendor certifications

AI skills framework

• Flexible framework describing professional AI capabilities without prescribing specific technologies
  
• Focuses on enduring professional skills adaptable to any AI platform or tool
  
• Integrates AI skills within established seven-level framework avoiding artificial boundaries
  
• Provides structured content to mitigate AI risks in people and skills management while supporting workforce mobility