The Professional Knowledge and Skills base

The value of the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB)

The CILIP Professional Knowledge and Skills Base is the sector skills standard for the information, knowledge, library and data profession. It has been developed in consultation with employers, practitioners, sector experts and learning providers. It is recognised as the foundation of learning and skills development for the profession and often referred to as the “PKSB” by the community.

The PKSB outlines the broad spectrum of knowledge and skills required across the profession. It can be used in a number of ways by individuals and organisations to develop skills for success and is available in a variety of formats to best suit the needs of the user.

Interested in using the PKSB?

The PKSB is an essential tool for developing the skills for success and access to this tool one of the key benefits enjoyed by our members and partner organisations. For those who haven’t used the PKSB before or are curious as to what it has to offer you or your organisation we have created an Introduction and Overview document. With an overview of the skills and knowledge areas covered by the PKSB as well as the core principles underlying its creation and uses, it’s a great way to find out how you too can benefit from all the PKSB has to offer.

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE PKSB PDF

For individual members

The PKSB can be used as a self-assessment tool to give direction to personal, professional and career development. It can be used to demonstrate your unique skill set to employers and it can be used to map and demonstrate transferable skills to open up opportunities across the profession.

It is the framework for CILIP Professional Registration, recognising excellence in professional practice through Certification, Chartership and Fellowship. It is a perfect guide to continuing professional development for Revalidation too.

MORE INFORMATION ON PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION

ACCESS ONLINE PKSB

For employers

The PKSB can be used as a framework for skills analysis, to target staff training and development and to support workforce development. It has been used by major national public employers as the basis for the development of in-house capability, career path and assessment schemes.

For more details on using the PKSB in the workplace contact our Employer Partners team.

For learning providers

The PKSB is used as the framework for accrediting academic and vocational qualifications and training for the information profession. By choosing a CILIP accredited course, students and learners can feel confident that the content is high quality and has been tested against the professional standard by an independent assessor. CILIP accreditation certifies quality learning and delivery as well as relevance to the employment market. The CILIP accreditation scheme is designed to recognise a range of academic courses, modules and continuing professional development (CPD) activities at all levels.

For more details on course accreditation contact our Member Services team.

For partnership projects

The PKSB has been used as the basis for English apprenticeship development for the library, information and knowledge profession. It has been aligned to the international standard for knowledge management: ISO 30401 Knowledge Management It has been used as the basis for the accreditation of services, for example the 2021 ACE funded-project to develop an accreditation framework for public libraries.

For more details on using the PKSB in partnership with CILIP contact the Member Services team.

For Sectors and Specialisms

The PKSB has also been adapted for specific Sectors and Specialisms.

Healthcare Sector

CILIP and Health Education England have developed a specialised version of the PKSB that is tailored to the specific needs of the library and knowledge workforce in the healthcare sector.

The PKSB Healthcare Sector Guide outlines the broad range of skills required by librarians, information and knowledge professionals working in the healthcare sector with the addition of relevant examples.

For more information on PKSB for the healthcare sector.

Knowledge Management

CILIP was represented in the development of BSI ISO 30401:2018 Knowledge management systems-requirements; and is therefore able to confidently map the skills requirements of the standard to the PKSB. Mapping the standard to PKSB means that Knowledge Managers can be confident in using the PKSB as a tool for skills development.

This mapping is used as the basis for the personal development required of candidates undertaking Knowledge Management Chartership or Knowledge Management Fellowship.

MORE INFORMATION ON KM PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION

Shape the future of the PKSB

The skills and knowledge needed to be an excellent information, knowledge, library and data professional evolve continuously. CILIP creates the PKSB with the profession, for the profession. We encourage our people to share their thoughts on potential revisions and additions on our Ideas Platform using the Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) category. Your suggestions will be considered as part of the next revision of the PKSB.