## The Skate Model for competence Competence - while formally defined in ISO/IEC 27000:2018, can be hard to demonstrate and document internally. My training introduced me to the SKATE Model for competence and it's definitely suitable for a document tracking competence over time. The idea is that 'competence' emerges as an outcome of a combination of factors being exercised by an individual. These factors are shown below with my own definitions. | SKATE Factor | Discussion and meaning | | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **S**kills | Your developed ability to carry out the processes and procedures that form components of the activity you are demonstrating competence in. | | **K**nowledge | Your theoretical understanding of the concepts and relationships that inform the nature of this area. | | **A**ptitude/**A**mibiton/**A**ttitude | Referenced differently by different users of the model, this can be a few things:<br><br>**Aptitude**: Your existing ability to carry out the processes and procedures that form the components of the activity you are demonstrating competence in - some call this 'natural ability'.<br>**Ambition**: Your desire to achieve competence, placed in the context of effectively making efforts to move towards that goal.<br>**Attitude**: Your mental approach to developing and maintaining competence over time<br> | | **T**raining | Any detailed or focused tutoring or practice you have received in this area, with the specific intention being to develop your proficiency. | | **E**xperience | Prior or ongoing exposure to the area of interest, such that your operational proximity has given you avenues of development. | ## An exercise in competence You can assess yourself in a given area by ranking yourself from 1-5 in each area in a relational way. Do you possess the same skill as someone who's never heard of the subject? Or are you closer to an industry leader and in fact an authority in this area? Evidence that. Once you have these dynamic definitions as a logged internal account you can map your way into developing your competence over time, and also establishing internal pathways to develop competence in given areas. It's also useful to have categories for development - a specific week-long course may enhance your **skills** and **knowledge**, a conference your **ambition**, **attitude**, or **experience**. You can be as detailed or interpretive as you'd like, so it fits nicely with the vendor agnostic nature of 27001.