Webinar Series

Rethinking Credentials for Cybersecurity Careers

April 19, 2017
v Connecting Credentials: national campaign to make 

degrees, certificates, industry certifications, badges & other 

credentials easier to understand, use, interconnect.

v Beta Credentials Framework: competency-based, content 

agnostic analytic tool to show patterns, expose gaps, 

uncover opportunities in design of curriculum, career 

pathways & credentials; & testing the knowledge/skills 

framework for connecting diverse credentials

v Credential Engine: bring transparency to credentialing 

marketplace by using common language to describe 

credentials, build Credential Registry, & facilitate 

development of “apps” to tailor-make credentialing info for 

key user groups. 

3 National Credentialing Initiatives

1
WHY?

2
Meaning & Value of Credentials?

3
What’s Inside the Credential Big Tent?

• Degrees (associate, baccalaureate, masters, doctoral)

• Certificates

• Industry & professional association certifications

• Apprenticeship credentials

• Digital badges & other microcredentials

• Licenses, endorsements, registrations

• Diplomas

• Skill sets

• New forms likely to be invented

4
Q	&	A	

5
NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework – Draft NIST SP 800-181

• Specialty Areas (33) – Distinct areas of cybersecurity work;

• Work Roles (52) – The most detailed groupings of IT, cybersecurity or cyber-related work, which include 

specific knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform a set of tasks.

• Tasks – Specific work activities that could be assigned to a professional working in one of the NCWF’s 

Work Roles; and,

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) – Attributes required to perform Tasks, generally demonstrated 

through relevant experience or performance-based education and training.

• Audience:

• Employers

• Current and Future Cybersecurity Workers

• Training and Certification Providers

• Education Providers

• Technology Providers

• Reference Resource for cybersecurity workforce development 

SECURELY

PROVISION

PROTECT

AND

DEFEND

OPERATE

AND

MAINTAIN

OVERSEE

AND	

GOVERN

COLLECT

AND

OPERATE

ANALYZE INVESTIGATE

Cybersecurity Work Categories (7)

6
National Dialogue 

& Collective Action

Beta Credentials 

Framework

Resources 

Connecting 

Credentials.org

• 115 national cosponsors

• Outreach & collaboration/work groups

• Summit in Fall 2015

• 7-point Action Plan in Fall 2016 

• Implementation, scale & sustainability

• Testing

• Experimentation

• Constituency consultations

• Refinement/improvement

• Website

• Database on related initiatives

• Publications 

• Webinars, “brown bag” chats

• E-newsletter 

What Is Connecting Credentials?

7
Attributes of More Equitable, 

Transparent System 

• All learning matters wherever obtained

• All credentials are based on learning outcomes (competencies)

• Credentials are portable, transferrable, transparent, useful & 

easily understood by learners, workers & employers

• Credentialing pathways, including on-ramps, increase access & 

equity for all learners

• Helps learners, workers & employers make informed choices 

about their investment in/value of credential they’re purchasing

• Helps employers better qualify employees & reduce recruiting 

time, employee turnover & cost of retraining

• Builds a competitive, highly skilled workforce

• Dynamic system ─ agility to be relevant in rapidly changing 

labor market

8
7-Point Action Plan to Improve Credentialing

1. Develop scalable ways to engage employers in the credentialing 

marketplace ─ improve demand signals

2. Empower learners to navigate the credentialing ecosystem

3. Develop common language centered on competencies

4. Create open, interoperable data & technology infrastructure 

5. Foster shared understanding of credential quality among 

stakeholders & reciprocity among quality assurance processes

6. Pursue public policy that advances equity ─ builds pathways

7. Promote field-based development of new credentialing tools, 

policies & practices

9
• Make credentials more transparent

• Help users compare, contrast & connect 

credentials

• Translate learning gained from one credential 

towards another 

Purpose

• Create a common language based on competencies 

(knowledge & skills) to describe what recipients of 

each credential should know & be able to do Objective

• Competency-based & content-agnostic

• Organized around learning domains: 1) Knowledge 

& 2) Skills ─ specialized, personal, social

• 8 levels determine the relative complexity, breadth 

& depth of learning

Structure

Beta Credentials Framework

10
Snapshot of Beta Credentials Framework

Levels Knowledge Skills

The level requirements 

in study and work are 

described in terms of 

the degree of 

adaptability, range, 

complexity & 

selectivity.

Knowledge 

describes what a 

learner knows, 

understands & can 

demonstrate. The 

requirements & 

competencies are 

described in terms 

of depth, breadth & 

dimension.

Skills describe what 

an individual can do 

in applying 

knowledge, 

completing tasks & 

solving problems 

(involving the use of 

logical, intuitive & 

creative thinking).

Specialized 

Skills

The requirements & 

competencies are 

described in terms 

of:

•Critical Thinking & 

Judgement;

•Integrative 

Applications

•Systems Thinking

Personal 

Skills

The requirements 

& competencies are 

described in terms 

of:

•Autonomy

•Responsibility

•Self-Awareness & 

Reflection

Social 

Skills

The requirements & 

competencies are 

described in terms 

of:

•Communication

•Involvement

•Teamwork & 

Leadership

Levels 1 - 8 Levels 1 - 8 Levels 1 - 8 Levels 1 - 8 Levels 1 - 8 Levels 1 - 8

11
Beta 

Credentials 

Framework 

Field Tests

Capella 

University

The Right Signals

20 Community 

Colleges

(AACC)

Southern 

Oregon 

SUNY Project

Empire 

State 

College

Geospatial 

Foundation

Pearson

NCCRS

ACT

Field Tests:

•Provide proof-of-concept 

platform

•Engage variety of 

stakeholders/users

in experimentation

•Identify utility & value

•Identify how to improve 

the Framework

•Create network of users

12
Q	&	A	

13
• 501C3 non-profit organization

• Mission to improve transparency in the credentialing 

marketplace 

• Maintains open-licensed Credential Registry

• Maintains software for common language about 

credentials (Credential Transparency Description 

Language)

• Promotes open applications marketplace

Credential Engine –

Vision is GPS for Credentialing

14
• Info on credentialing organizations that issue credentials ─

universities, colleges, schools, industry & professional 

associations, certification organizations, military

• Info on quality assurance organizations that accredit, 

approve, recognize, endorse or otherwise assure quality of 

credentials and/or credentialing organizations

• Info on competency frameworks that communicate 

competencies & learning outcomes for credentials or 

provide common language/reference points for doing that

• Beta Credential Registry goes live summer/fall 2017

Credential Registry Captures, Connects & 

Shares Info about All Credentials

15
99 Pilot-Sites Posting Info on Beta Registry 

•AABC Commissioning Group 

•ABRET Neurodiagnostic Credentialing & Accreditation 

•Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification 

•Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges 

•ACT 

•American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) 

•American Board of Certified Genetic Counseling 

•American Health Information Management Association 

•American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute 

•American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) 

•American National Standards Institute 

•American Public University System 

•American Society for Clinical Pathology 

•American Staffing Association 

•American Welding Society 

•Behavioral Intervention Certification Council 

•Bellevue University 

•Board of Certified Safety Professionals 

•Board of Pharmacy Specialties 

•Brandman University 

•Capella 

•Center for Energy Workforce Development 

•Central Michigan University 

•Charter Oak State College 

•Commission on Dietetic Registration

CompTIA 

•Dallas County Community College District 

DePaul University 

•El Paso Community College 

•Elon University 

•Energy Management Association 

•Exemplar Global 

•Ferris State University 

Front Range Community College, Colorado 

•Gateway Community & Technical College 

•Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professionals 

•Illinois Department of Public Health 

•Illinois Nurse Aid Testing 

•INFORMS 

•Institute for Certified Professional Managers - James Madison University 

•Institute for Credentialing Excellence - National Commission for Certifying 

Agencies 

•International Code Council 

•International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium 

•Ivy Tech Community College Indiana 

•Kaplan University 

•LaGuardia Community College 

•Lipscomb University 

•Madison Area Technical College 

•Manufacturing Skills Standards Council 

•Miami Dade College

16
. . . pilot-site participants continued

•Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 

•Monroe Community College 

•Moravian College 

•National Apartment Association Education Institute 

•National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy 

•National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse 

Anesthetists 

•National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators 

•National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators 

•National Environmental Health Association 

•National Healthcareer Association 

•National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies 

•National Institute for Metalworking Skills 

•National Registry of Food Safety Professionals 

•National Restaurant Association 

•National Wellness Institute 

•NOCTI and NOCTI Business Solutions 

•NSF International Training and Education 

•Pharmacy Technician Certification Board 

•Polk State College 

•Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB) 

Purdue University 

•Quality Matters 

•Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association 

•Rio Salado College 

••Rowan College at Burlington County 

•Society of Certified Senior Advisors 

•South Plains College 

•Southern Methodist University 

•Stanford University 

•Texas Lutheran University 

•The Career and Technical Education Consortium of States 

•The Institute for Performance Improvement 

•Thomas Edison State University 

•Training Industry, Inc. 

•University of Advancing Technology 

•University of California Riverside Extension 

•University of La Verne 

•University of Maryland University College 

•University of Phoenix/ Apollo Education Group 

•University of Wisconsin - Extension 

•WASC Senior College and University Commission 

•Washington County Community College 

•West Hills Community College District 

•Western Association of Food Chains 

•Western Governors University 

•Western Kentucky University 

•Wilmington University 

•Wonderlic, Inc. 

•York County Community College 

17
Resources

•Lumina Foundation: Transparent Credentials 

https://www.luminafoundation.org/transparent-credentials

•Connecting Credentials http://connectingcredentials.org/

•Credential Engine http://www.credentialengine.org/

18
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

Webinar: Rethinking Credentials for Cybersecurity Careers

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET

Presented by

vHolly Zanville, Senior Advisor for Credentialing & Workforce, 

Development, Lumina Foundation

vEvelyn Ganzglass, Co-director Connecting Credentials, 

Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

April 19, 2017

19
Q	&	A	

20
Thank	You	for	Joining	Us!

Upcoming	Webinar:	“Positioning the National Guard to 

Augment the Cybersecurity Workforce”

When:	Wednesday,	May	17,	2017	at	2:00pm	EST

Register:	https://nist-nice.adobeconnect.com/webinarmay2017/event/registration.html

nist.gov/nice/webinars

21