How the framework is put together
The framework is a stack of six layers and three axes. This page makes both concrete, and states the rule that keeps one specification able to support any number of credentials.
Six layers. Each references the layer above. No layer redefines what a higher layer owns.
| Layer | Name | Owned by | Contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Methodology | AI Certification Standards | How statements are written, reviewed and versioned |
| 1 | Core framework | AI Certification Standards | Domains D1–D8, levels L1–L4, competence statements |
| 2 | Overlays | AI Certification Standards | Statements specific to a professional function, applied across domains |
| 3 | Extensions | AI Certification Standards, on submission | Statements specific to a technology, sector or business function |
| 4 | Occupational standards | AI Certification Standards | A named role at a named level, expressed as a set of statements |
| 5 | Credential specifications | Awarding bodies | Which statements are assessed, how, and to what standard |
| 6 | Courses and materials | Any provider | Delivery, sequence, content |
Layers 4, 5 and 6 select and weight statements. They never create one. Where a credential requires a competence the framework does not contain, an extension is proposed at layer 3 and enters public review. This is what allows one framework to support any number of credentials without fragmenting.
Domain, level, context
Every statement sits at the intersection of a domain (what area of competence), a level (to what degree of autonomy and judgement), and optionally an overlay or extension (in what professional or applied context).
D3.L2.04Interaction and elicitation, Applied level, fourth statementO1.L3.02Instruction and assessment overlay, Proficient levelX-AGT.L2.01Agentic systems extension, Applied levelThe distinction is the mechanism by which the framework grows without becoming unmanageable, and it is worth stating precisely.
| Unit | Answers | Applies to | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | What area of competence? | Everyone, in any role | D8 Security |
| Overlay | What professional function? | Those performing that function | O1 Instruction and assessment |
| Extension | What applied context? | Those working in that context | X-AGT Agentic systems |
A marketing manager using AI is not performing a different professional function from an analyst — they are working in a different context. That is an extension. An instructor teaching AI competence is performing a distinct function that carries its own obligations regardless of context. That is an overlay.
Every credential has the same form
Credential = { core statements } ∪ { overlay statements } ∪ { extension statements }
each with a coverage flag and a weightingBecause the identifiers are shared, the overlap between this credential and one for agentic governance is visible and measurable. A holder of one can be granted recognition for the statements common to both without either awarding body negotiating a bilateral agreement.
| Component | Statements | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Core | D8 at Proficient | 45% |
| Core | D6 at Applied | 15% |
| Extension | X-AGT security-tagged, Proficient | 30% |
| Overlay | O3 at Applied | 10% |
Every field, annotated against a real statement
D6.L3.06Critique a published benchmark or vendor claim, identifying what it does and does not establish.
D6.L1.04 · Related D1.L3.*, D7.L3.*