AI Skills Frameworks
Evaluating 8 international skills and competency frameworks for integration into the Smart Island platform — enabling cross-framework skill comparisons, workforce planning, and labour market analysis for the Isle of Man.
Smart Island is incorporating multiple international skills frameworks to provide a unified view of the Isle of Man labour market. By mapping occupations and skills across these frameworks we can deliver cross-framework skill comparisons, identify transferable competencies, benchmark workforce readiness for AI adoption, and support evidence-based policy decisions. Each framework below has been evaluated against its scope, granularity, proficiency model, licensing terms, and relevance to the Manx economy.
Broad digital/ICT professional skills framework; widely used for workforce planning
High; structured skill definitions aligned to responsibility levels
7 levels of responsibility with generic attributes (autonomy, influence, complexity)
Free for personal career development and most internal employer use; reproduction/distribution restricted unless permitted
Maintained by SFIA Foundation with documented release notes and updates
Australian Government whole-of-country licence; UK Government DDaT roles mapped to SFIA
Strong for regulated sectors needing role clarity and accountability; proven national-scale licensing options exist
Can be heavy for SMEs and non-tech roles unless simplified; licensing constraints if republishing embedded content
EU classification of occupations + skills/competences (ontology) for labour-market interoperability
Very high; hierarchical skills and occupations with metadata and relationships
Not a proficiency ladder (classification/ontology)
Publicly available; designed for reuse as a European reference language
Formal continuous improvement workflow and KPIs for quality/fit
Used as reference for EURES skills-based matching under EURES Regulation Article 19
Best foundation for machine-readable mapping of IoM roles/training; supports analytics and matching across borders
Not directly assessment-ready; needs overlay for proficiency and behavioural indicators
Citizen digital competence (life/work/learning)
Medium; 21 competences across 5 areas
8 proficiency levels introduced in DigComp 2.1
EU publication; openly accessible
Multiple implementation guides and examples; DigComp into Action documents
Used across Europe via many implementations documented by JRC
Strong for baseline AI-adjacent digital skills (information literacy, safety); good fit for whole-population literacy elements
Not AI-specific; needs an AI usage layer to be operational for modern GenAI workflows
ICT professional competence standard in Europe
Medium-high; ~41 competences grouped by ICT business areas
5 proficiency levels; linked to EQF conceptually
Often purchased via national standards bodies
Maintained by CEN/TC 428
Used as a European common language for ICT competences; referenced for ESCO ICT content
Good for ICT professional roles and aligning with European qualifications language
Less accessible due to standards IP model; not built for all workforce AI usage without additional layers
AI skills framework for the workforce + employer adoption tools
Practical, job-level; groups skills by domains
3 job levels: entry / mid / managerial (skill categories: technical; responsible/ethical; non-technical)
GOV.UK publication; publicly accessible
Developed from workshops/roundtables and desk research; intended to inform local/national policies
UK national tool; designed for SMEs and non-specialists
Very suitable for IoM employer adoption patterns; familiar language for UK-linked labour market
UK-centric; needs Manx regulatory overlays and sector emphasis
Global cross-industry skills taxonomy (shared skills language)
Taxonomy-level (structured categories), not behavioural competencies
Not a proficiency ladder
Publicly accessible taxonomy tools and adoption toolkit
Adoption toolkit and case studies; positioned as a shared language with real-world examples
Case studies include national and large-organisation implementations (Jobs and Skills Australia, SkillsFuture Singapore)
Strong for communicating internationally and aligning skills-first vocabulary
Not assessment-ready; requires a local competency model for appraisal/training outcomes
AI competency guidance for business adoption (practical challenges, non-technical and leadership focus)
High-level competencies suited to workforce planning
Competency framework with progression routes; positioned as high-level reference
Publicly accessible documentation
National consultation process; iterative updates implied
Distributed via Turing and publicly hosted; indexed in repositories
Credible UK anchor for adoption capability and leadership competencies
Too abstract for day-to-day appraisal without a behavioural taxonomy
Data-driven, large-scale skills library for labour market intelligence and matching
Very high (tens of thousands of skills)
Not a proficiency ladder
Marketed as open skills taxonomy; technical/API use governed by platform terms
Continuously updated from labour market data
Widely used by employers and labour market analysts globally
Best for real-time labour market skills demand mapping and job matching
Not assessment-ready; commercial API model for advanced features
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