The global skills and competency framework for the digital world
February 2024 - SFIA update

February 2024 - SFIA update

SFIAv9 | Simplified URLs | SFIA users in New Zealand | Cyber security

Estimated reading time: 1 minutes 45 seconds

Contents

  1. SFIA 9 tracker / Prototypes for generic attributes and levels of responsibility
  2. Simplified URLs for quick access to SFIA skills
  3. Improvements to website search
  4. SFIA - a framework for cyber security skills
  5. Contribution from SFIA users in New Zealand

SFIA 9 tracker / Prototypes for generic attributes and levels of responsibility

  • We share the change requests and the the proposed updates and other actions on the website
  • For SFIA 8 - all skills were edited for readability, which included adding 'Guidance notes' for all skills and creating a short description of each skill. This was well received by SFIA users.
  • So for SFIA 9 - we will do something similar for the levels of responsibility and generic attributes
  • We have some early prototypes available (these are subject to change) - 
  • Helping you plan for a new version of SFIA
    • Before publishing a new version - all proposed changes are made public for further comment using a beta release
    • We will also estimate the scale of the change and the likely impact on current SFIA users so that you can make informed choices

Simplified URLs for quick access to SFIA skills

Many employers and other SFIA users embed links to SFIA skills in their web pages and other documents. To help them, we've upgraded the URL scheme for accessing SFIA skills pages. This enhancement is designed to:

  • Enable rapid access to specific skills using predictable URLs.
  • Facilitate the creation of links to SFIA skills in your documents, webpages, and applications.
  • Provide longevity for your embedded links with future SFIA versions.

How to Use the New Scheme

For direct access to a skill, you can now use structured URLs like:

Or without specifying a version number, which redirects to the current version:

Language Flexibility

Access a skill without specifying a language, and the system will redirect you to your preferred language version, defaulting to English if unavailable. For instance:

     Improvements to website search

    • The search page has been updated
    • You can specify a search for
      • SFIA framework content (e.g. skills or levels of responsibility, generic attributes)
      • or for supporting guidance -  by selecting to search for a 'Page'
    • The search results have been streamlined to enhance readability
    • The search defaults to SFIA 8 content - but this can be easily altered to select all content on the site

    SFIA - a framework for cyber security skills

    Cyber security continues to be a significant area of interest for current and potential SFIA Users. We have published a 'home page' for SFIA and cyber security and are developing SFIA mappings for a number national/international cyber security role frameworks.

    UK Cyber Security Council

    • The UK Cyber Security Council (UK CSC) are now SFIA Partners
    • Below is an illustration of using SFIA levels for  role families aligned to cyber security specialisms

    NICE

    ENISA ECSF professional role profiles

    SFIA Partners in the field of cybersecurity

    • ISC2, CIISec, CompTIA, ISACA, SANS | GIAC, UKCSC, and CREST. 

    Contribution from SFIA users in New Zealand

    Many thanks to the great input from a number of SFIA users based in New Zealand. In a series of workshops facilitated by Daniel Merriott they have come up with wide range of ideas for updates to the SFIA framework. Highlighted topics include:

    • Records/Information Management
    • People Management & Development
    • Organisational Change/Design/Implementation
    • Review of Level Descriptors for some skills
    • IT Service Management
    • IT Infrastructure/Support
    • Testing

    Thank you for shaping the future of SFIA through your ongoing participation and feedback. 

    Please get in touch. Click below to send an email.

    Peter Leather

    SFIA Updates Manager