The global skills and competency framework for the digital world
SFIA Monthly News - October 2025

SFIA Monthly News - October 2025

CyBOK and UKCSC specialisms | New interactive tool | Extended free test | Mapping learning to SFIA

Recent updates from the SFIA Foundation

Contents

  1. New - SFIA 9 Multi-View
  2. SFIA, CyBOK and the 15 UKCSC specialisms
  3. Professional standards for mapping learning to SFIA
  4. Licencing for SFIA Commercial Partners
  5. Branding, intellectual property and responsible use
  6. Take the SFIA Framework Foundation test free of charge

New - SFIA 9 Multi-View

Explore SFIA 9 from multiple perspectives.

  • Our new interactive SFIA 9 Multi-View is an education and communication tool designed to show how one framework can support many disciplines. It complements—not replaces—existing navigation tools such as the SFIA 9 Skills Directory (A–Z).
  • Multi-View provides an at-a-glance illustration of how SFIA applies across domains such as cybersecurity, data science, cloud computing, AI & machine learning, software engineering, and enterprise IT. It helps educators, practitioners, and organisations see the shared language that unites these areas under SFIA’s seven levels of responsibility.
  • It is also valuable for role profiling workshops and discussions on workforce development, helping teams explore and compare skills within and across domains.
  • This view includes sample roles to SFIA skills mappings for several contexts including the the already published SFIA skills profiles, the NICE Work roles, ENISA ESCF roles and UKCSC Cyber specialisms.

SFIA, CyBOK and the 15 UKCSC specialisms

  • Mappings between SFIA and complementary frameworks are always popular with SFIA users and with users of other frameworks.
  • The UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC) defines 15 cybersecurity specialisms and outlined possible career pathways into, through, and between them. Applying SFIA translates these specialisms into skills-based roles and structured career progression routes aligned to SFIA’s seven levels of responsibility. This helps employers and professionals use the Council’s specialisms as a foundation for job design, assessment, and development planning.
  • Connecting SFIA and CyBOK : The Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK) is a comprehensive reference that underpins education and professional training for the cybersecurity sector. Mapping CyBOK knowledge areas to SFIA helps academic and industry audiences connect theoretical and foundational cybersecurity knowledge with professional competencies in practice.
  • Seeing all three frameworks together—UKCSC specialisms, CyBOK and SFIA—offers the most value. It links theory, professional competence, and career development showing how foundational knowledge (CyBOK), professional competencies (SFIA), and career pathways (UKCSC) reinforce one another to build a coherent view of the cybersecurity profession defined by the UKCSC specialisms. 

Professional standards for mapping learning to SFIA

  • These standards apply to anyone mapping learning or certifications to SFIA, including training providers, certification bodies, learning-catalogue services, and internal L&D teams.
  • They promote consistency, accuracy, and clarity in describing how learning relates to SFIA skills. Clear, evidence-based mappings help learners, providers, and employers see realistic skill outcomes and maintain SFIA’s integrity as a trusted, community-governed framework.
  • They also provide guidance for responsible AI use in mapping activities, ensuring human oversight and professional judgement remain central.

Licencing for SFIA Commercial Partners

  • We’ve simplified our licensing structure. Multiple licences for commercial partners have been merged into a  single SFIA Partner Licence. This applies to all new partners immediately and to existing partners at renewal.
  • The change makes it easier to work with the Foundation, improving consistency and transparency for everyone who uses SFIA commercially.

SFIA Foundation branding, intellectual property and responsible use

The SFIA Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation with a clear purpose: growing capability and capacity in the world’s digital workforce. We maintain and govern SFIA so that it remains vendor-neutral, community-driven, and freely available to individuals and most organisations.

Our brand, logo, and other visual assets are key to maintaining that trust. All partners, licensees, and event organisers must use SFIA materials correctly and in line with our published guidance.

We also ask SFIA users (individuals and organisations) to help protect the integrity of the framework:

  • check that any commercial partner or consultant you engage holds a valid SFIA Partner Licence
  • if you see SFIA materials being used inappropriately, or suspect unlicensed commercial use, please contact the SFIA Foundation
  • commercial partners should advise their customers that if they are using a SFIA-based product or service, they will also need their own SFIA licence (usually free of charge).

Your vigilance ensures SFIA remains a trusted, community-governed framework available to all.

SFIA Framework Foundation: Your gateway to SFIA knowledge

We've made it easier for newcomers to learn about SFIA with our structured collection of resources, offering streamlined access to essential SFIA knowledge. 

  • The new SFIA Framework Foundation Test was launched earlier this year and is available directly from our website—suitable for both newcomers and experienced SFIA users, taking approximately half an hour to complete. 
  • The test has been taken by people in more than  30 different countries.
  • The test will remain free to take until the end of December: Take the test now, pay only for the digital badge if desired. 
  • Completing the test provides a professional certificate and optional digital badge for your professional profiles. 
  • We encourage wider participation in the test, including experienced SFIA Users, as your feedback will help us improve our educational resources.  
  • The test is not designed to catch you out, there are no trick questions. The information needed to pass the test is readily available and familiar to users of SFIA. 

→ Learn more about Foundation resources and the test

Quick access to essential SFIA knowledge

  • Foundation Level resource hub: All core SFIA concepts organised in one place
  • Online validation: Take the new SFIA Framework Foundation Test directly from our website, no additional registration needed
  • Beginner-friendly: Alternatively, start with our SFIA Fundamentals quiz for a gentle introduction

Image of SFIA Framework Foundation badge

→ Learn more about Foundation resources and the test

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,

Peter Leather
SFIA Updates Manager
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