SFIAPlus explained

SFIAplus is the IT training and development model of the British Computer Society (BCS).^[1] Based on the original Industry Structure Model, first published by the BCS in July 1986, which was remapped to the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) and rebranded as SFIAPlus.^[2]

Background

Responding to the wide recognition of the importance of an externally accredited professional development scheme,^[3] the BCS consulted with hundreds of contributors^[4] developing SFIAPlus to enable individuals and organisations to:

Understand the broad range of ICT practitioner roles and activities
Research the experience, training and development required in those roles
Benchmark IT skills against the framework
Describe IT skills in a common language and a logical structure^[5]

SFIAPlus is used by a large number of organisations, including many major companies, to apply quality control to the practical experience and training of ICT practitioners,^[6] and is widely used outside the UK, forming the basis of the European Informatics Skills Structure used throughout Europe.^[7]

SFIAPlus tools

While the first version in 1986 (of the Industry Structure Model) was produced as a paper publication, the complexity in SFIAPlus mean that it is best accessed using a software interface (BCS describe it as three-dimensional as compared to the SFIA two-dimensional model^[8]).

SFIAPlus can be browsed to access the full range of ICT competencies and tasks, and there are a number of additional tools:

BCS Career Builder

Individual tool for self-planning for career and professional development^[9]

IT Job Describer

Corporate tool for generating job descriptions using the SFIAPlus model^[10]

Skills Manager

Corporate tool for managing skills within an organisation against the SFIAPlus model^[11]

Career Developer

Corporate tool for planning the development of IT competencies against the SFIAPlus model^[12]

Structure

While SFIA maps IT competencies in two dimensions (skill categories and seniority) and briefly describes the 263 tasks expected of a role in each of the 78 categories at the relevant level of seniority; SFIAPlus extends this with additional categories, making 86 specific skills and 290 tasks; adding a more thorough overview of each competency (with eight skill resources); and providing significant detail behind each task description (six task components).

Task descriptions in SFIAPlus are supplemented by:

Background
Work activities
Knowledge and skills
Training activities
Professional development activities
Qualifications

External links

SFIAPlus, on the BCS website

Notes and References

http://www.bcs.org/sfiaplus SFIAPlus, on the BCS website
http://www.trainingreference.co.uk/news/itp050202.htm SFIA forms the basis of BCS product SFIAplus with extra detail previously held in the Industry Structure Model
http://www.trainingfoundation.com/page/research/2042.html Firms failing to formalise development for IT professionals, article from The Training Foundation
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2005/11/29/213125/updated-skills-framework-brings-professionalism-a-step.htm Updated skills framework brings professionalism a step nearer, article from Computer Weekly
http://www.ictf.ox.ac.uk/conference/2004/presentations/bcs.pdf Oxford University ICT Forum
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/12/19/228672/unilever-uses-sfiaplus-to-get-more-from-its-it-skills.htm Unilever uses SFIAplus to get more from its IT skills, article in Computer Weekly
http://www.iprof09-arnhem.nl/media/pdf/ict-professionalism-developments.pdf ICT Professionalism Developments, paper based on presentation to the Education, Training and Life Long Learning conference September 2007
Web site: SFIAplus - IT skills framework - The Chartered Institute for IT . BCS . 2014-06-12 . 2019-07-03.
http://www.insidecareers.co.uk/__802574D800546935.nsf/idlive/EBRE-7B5KMM!opendocument Continuing Professional Development, article from Inside Careers - Specialists in Graduate Careers
http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?newsid=5857 BCS brings standardising tool for IT employers, article from Tech World
http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=990 Boost to IT professionalism with BCS Skills Manager tool, article from Public Technology
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/01/11/213559/no-need-to-firefight-on-skills.htm No need to firefight on skills, article from Computer Weekly