SP 800-181 Rev. 1Final2020

Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework)

At a glanceA shared vocabulary for describing cybersecurity work: tasks, knowledge and skills, grouped into work roles and competency areas. Districts can use it to write job descriptions, plan staff development and talk with partners about coverage. The detailed lists are published separately as NICE Framework Components.

Reading level: Practitioner
Length: 27 pages · about 25 min for the key parts
Best for: Technology directors, Business officials, Superintendents and cabinet
CSF 2.0: Govern

Read it on NIST DOI 10.6028/NIST.SP.800-181r1 ↗

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Key concepts

SP 800-181 Rev. 1 describes the framework's structure. The data itself (work role categories, work roles, competency areas and task, knowledge and skill statements) is maintained as the NICE Framework Components, updated on its own schedule; version 2.2.0 (April 2026) is the latest verified release.

How it is organized

Background
Building blocks: task, knowledge and skill statements
Using the framework: work roles, competency areas, teams
Companion dataset: NICE Framework Components (spreadsheet and JSON)

What a school district should take from it

Name the work, not just the job title: who covers incident response, identity administration, vendor risk?
Small teams cover many work roles each; the framework helps show where coverage is thin.

How to use it in your district

Map current staff and contracts to the work roles that matter most to the district.
Use work role language in job postings and service contracts.
Plan professional development around competency areas with the biggest gaps.

Common misconceptions

The NICE Framework is only for large security teams.: Its vocabulary works for describing what a one- or two-person team covers and what is contracted.

Rubric categories and K12 Cyber Forward tools

Cybersecurity Rubric 2.0 categories

GV.RRRoles, Responsibilities, and Authorities

Tools in the program portal

Team and accessNamed accounts, roles and authenticator MFA
Staff learningShort courses and lessons for staff
P3 Partner NetworkFind vetted help matched to your gaps

Related publications

SP 1308Risk-based workforce planning
NICE K12 resources (web)NICE K12 cybersecurity education

Citation and source

SP 800-181 Rev. 1, Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework). National Institute of Standards and Technology. 2020. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-181r1.

Replaces: SP 800-181 (2017).

Topics: Workforce and careers. This summary was written by the K12 Cyber Forward program team in its own words. NIST is not affiliated with the program and has not reviewed it. The official publication on csrc.nist.gov controls.