European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF)

The European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF) is a practical tool to support the identification and articulation of tasks, competences, skills and knowledge associated with the roles of European cybersecurity professionals.

The ECSF summarises all cybersecurity-related roles into 12 profiles, which are individually analysed into the details of their corresponding responsibilities, skills, synergies and interdependencies.  It provides a common understanding of the relevant roles, competencies, skills and knowledge required, facilitates recognition of cybersecurity skills, and supports the design of cybersecurity-related training programmes.

The framework is complemented by a user manual, which constitutes a practical guide to its utilisation, based on examples and use cases. The manual includes three examples for private organisations that need to hire, upskill and/or reskill their personnel in cybersecurity, along with use cases, which reflect the experience of seven organisations using the ECSF in different contexts.