Skill / Competency Definition
Scheme-scoped skill and competency definitions composition and lossy mappings
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 3 layers · 5 findings · 10 questions
Definition What the skill is within its scheme.
Scheme-scoped definition
The skill as defined by one framework.
Definition entry
Label, description and scheme of the skill.
- Which scheme defines the skill, and under which identifier and version?
- What description and scope note does the scheme give for the skill?
Proficiency levels
The levels at which the skill can be held.
- Does the scheme define proficiency levels for the skill, and how are they described?
- Which evidence is expected to demonstrate each level?
Composition How skills combine into larger competencies.
Broader and component skills
Hierarchies and compositions within a scheme.
Skill composition
Component skills and their place in the scheme's hierarchy.
- Which broader skill or group does this skill belong to?
- Which component skills make up this competency?
Mappings How the skill relates to definitions in other schemes.
Cross-scheme mapping
Equivalences and their loss of meaning.
Mapping quality
The type and precision of a mapping between two schemes.
- Is the mapping exact, broader, narrower or only related?
- What meaning is lost when a skill is mapped to the other scheme?
Occupation linkage
Links from skills to occupations or roles.
- Which occupations or roles list the skill as essential or optional?
- Which scheme version do those links belong to?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Society, people and institutions
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.SOC.PER.SKL
- Domain
- SOC.PER.SKL
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- skillcompetencydefinitionsoc.per.skl
- Also called
- K1
What it is Filled
A skill or competency definition is a named, described ability to apply knowledge or do work, defined within a particular scheme or framework, possibly with proficiency levels and component skills. It covers the definition and its mappings between schemes; a person's own claimed or assessed competence and formal qualifications are separate subjects.
Why it exists Filled
Scheme-scoped skill and competency definitions composition and lossy mappings
Distinguishing features Filled
- It defines a skill within a scheme; a person holding that skill is recorded elsewhere.
- The same ability can have several scheme-scoped definitions, joined by mappings that may lose meaning.
- Distinct from a qualification, which is a formal award, and from a licence, which grants permission to practise.
- Distinct from an occupation or position, which lists skills but is itself a role.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Treat a lossy mapping as an exact equivalence.
- Infer that a person holds a skill from a definition alone, without evidence.
- Change a scheme's official definitions or levels on the scheme owner's behalf.
- Use skill matching to exclude people on criteria unrelated to the work.
Only with a human decision
- Approving a new mapping between schemes for official use.
- Adding or retiring definitions in a maintained framework.
May
- Look up skill definitions and their identifiers in a named scheme.
- Propose mappings between schemes and state their type and precision.
- Compare skill requirements of roles with a person's recorded skills on request.
Moral aspects Filled
- Skill definitions shape hiring, training and recognition, and biased definitions can exclude people.
- Informally acquired skills are often missing from schemes, which disadvantages those who hold them.
- Lossy mappings across countries can undervalue migrants' competences.
Who is affected
- Workers and learners
- Employers and recruiters
- Education and training providers
- Framework owners
Owners Filled
Steward
The framework owner, such as a public employment or education authority or a professional body, answers for its definitions.
Master systems
- Skills and occupations classifications
- Competency framework registries
- Learning management systems
Links to other meta-models Filled
neighbor
- wm-per-008-education-qualification - Qualifications certify skills defined here.
related
- wm-per-013-professional-license-credential - Licences may require defined competencies.
- world-k1-function-and-capability - Split off from this legacy card on 2026-10-05; the legacy card keeps the primary subject.
references
- wm-org-004-position - Positions list required skills by reference to these definitions.
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A definition is identified by its scheme and the scheme's identifier, usually a URI, with the scheme version.
- Mappings are identified by the pair of source and target identifiers and the mapping type.
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
A skill definition is a conceptual description with no physical properties to measure.
Recognition optional Filled
- A skill definition has a label, a description, a scheme and often proficiency levels.
- Often confused with a qualification, a job title or a person's assessed competence.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Definitions can be versioned, grouped into hierarchies and mapped to other schemes.
- Definitions can be linked to occupations, learning outcomes and assessments.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Discriminatory screening based on rigid or biased skill requirements.
- Wrong decisions from treating approximate mappings as exact.
- Stale definitions that no longer match current practice.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ESCO skills and occupations classification.
- O*NET content model.
- IEEE 1484.20.1 reusable competency definitions.
- 1EdTech Competencies and Academic Standards Exchange (CASE).
Context of use required Filled
- Used in recruitment, workforce planning, education, training and career guidance.
- Public frameworks support labour mobility and qualification recognition across countries.
Sources Filled
- ESCO European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (European Commission)
- O*NET Content Model (US Department of Labor)
- EN 16234-1 e-Competence Framework (CEN)
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-per-009-skill-competency-definition.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.