NICE FRAMEWORK SUCCESS STORY 

University of New South Wales Canberra Cyber

Mapping Training and Education Courses

The voluntary Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework) was developed through 

a collaborative process by industry, academia, and government stakeholders. It establishes a 

taxonomy and common lexicon that describes cybersecurity work and is intended for use in both 

the public and private sectors. NIST does not validate or endorse any individual organization or its 

approach to using the NICE Framework. 

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE 

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra 

Cyber, based in the Australian capital, is a center of 

excellence in conducting impactful multi-disciplinary 

research and educating the next generation of 

Australian leaders and scholars in this important and 

growing field.

UNSW Canberra Cyber uniquely brings together a 

dynamic community of experts in the fields of 

computer science, engineering, mathematics, 

psychology, business and management, philosophy, 

human geography, and criminology. We continue to 

grow as a team across disciplines and with our 

industry and government partners.

Through fundamental and applied research, training, 

and education, UNSW Canberra Cyber is working to 

combat cybersecurity threats to our nation, 

organizations, and individuals by understanding the 

intersection of human, business, and technical 

factors.

DRIVERS

• To ensure our course offerings are matched to 

required student learning and employer 

expectations. 

• To be a leader among Australian tertiary 

institutions adopting the NICE framework.

• To utilize the NICE Framework to identify gaps 

in our training offerings.

Figure 1: UNSW Canberra Cyber

PROCESS

• A comprehensive audit of the content of all 

Professional Education courses was 

performed by UNSW Canberra Cyber.

• Identified content was then mapped to NICE 

Framework Categories and Knowledge, 

Skills, Abilities, and Tasks (KSATs) by UNSW 

Canberra Cyber and course lecturers.

• Course outlines and website entries were 

updated with NICE Framework mapping and 

color coding by UNSW Canberra Cyber and 

the Creative Media Unit.

• This process was then applied to the 

university’s cybersecurity postgraduate and 

undergraduate courses by UNSW Canberra 

Cyber and Cyber academics.

Figure 2: Process for mapping courses
–

NICE FRAMEWORK SUCCESS STORY 

University of New South Wales Canberra Cyber

Figure 3: Sample course mapping

TIE-IN WITH THE NICE FRAMEWORK

Mapping courses to the NICE Framework gave a 

structure by which we were able to survey existing 

course content and ensure that it prepares students 

for the cybersecurity workforce in a clear and detailed 

way. At times mapping was difficult due the fact that 

the level of adherence a course has to any NICE 

Framework components is self-determined and not 

able to be independently verified, but ultimately 

alignment provides a level of detail required to 

describe learning outcomes for our Professional 

Education courses. 

BENEFITS & IMPACT

• Audits of content and mapping of courses to the 

NICE Framework resulted in more detailed 

course outlines and website content, providing 

prospective students with comprehensive course 

information that wasn’t previously available.

• Use of NICE Framework categories has allowed 

us to identify gaps in our training offerings and 

formulate ideas for potential new courses to fill 

in these gaps.

“Implementing the NICE Framework has 

allowed us to accurately match student 

expectation with quality academic delivery” 

Nigel Phair, Director, 

UNSW Canberra Cyber

CONTACT INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Contact:

 cyber@adfa.edu.au 

Websites:

 unsw.adfa.edu.au/unsw-canberra-cyber

 unsw.adfa.edu.au/unsw-canberra-cyber/news/nist

 -nice-framework 

March 2021 

NICE Framework Website: nist.gov/nice/framework 

Contact Us: niceframework@nist.gov