SFIA version 6 launched to drive the digital age

1 Jul 2015 03:33 PM

Version 6 of SFIA, (the Skills Framework for the Information Age) has been launched yesterday at the Developing Digital Talent conference 2015 jointly hosted by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, the Tech Partnership and the SFIA Foundation.

The globally relevant framework of IT skills provides employers and practitioners with support to help them fulfil their potential and gain competitive advantage. The updated version includes seven new skills including digital forensics, IT strategy and planning, penetration testing and product management, all reflecting the changing nature of the profession.

Adam Thilthorpe, Chair of the SFIA Foundation and Director of Professionalism at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT said yesterday: “The question that all organisations must seek to answer in today’s environment is whether they have the capability to disrupt themselves, before someone does it to them. SFIA provides a common language for us all to discuss our skills needs for the present and the future.”

"Success with technology is all about people and skills," says Phil Smith, CEO UK and Ireland, Cisco and Chair of the Tech Partnership, welcoming the development. "A unified, globally-relevant framework of skills standards will help employers to manage skills effectively, and help the sector and the individuals in it fulfil their potential."

Jos Creese, BCS President adds: “BCS, Tech Partnership and the SFIA Foundation are committed to helping organisations future-proof their businesses by having the right people with the right skills in the right roles. By working closely together we are developing the talent to drive the digital age.”

Earlier this year, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and the Tech Partnership, the network of employers collaborating to create the skills for the digital economy, signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to support the UK’s digital skills agenda.

Yesterday’s joint conference aims to bring together technology leaders from industry to demonstrate the true value of effective skills management. 

*The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) is an international skills and competency framework that describes IT roles and the skills needed for them. It is supported by companies around the globe and it is backed by the UK government. It is adopted in a growing number of countries. The Framework is available in English, German, Spanish and Japanese.

SFIAplus contains the SFIA framework of IT skills plus detailed training and development resources. The result is the most established and widely adopted IT skills, training and development model that reflects current industry needs. The standard enables employers and IT practitioners to identify career paths and plan training and development.

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