Research and analysis

The UK Standard Skills Classification

Published 27 November 2025

What is the UK Standard Skills Classification?

The UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC) is a set of standardised lists of the skills, knowledge and tasks required for UK occupations.

The Structure of the SSC

The SSC has a hierarchical classification based on 3,343 separate skills that are required for the competent performance of specific job tasks. Each Occupational Skill is associated with a set of Tasks and Core Skills, the latter being more generic in nature and contributing to the effective performance of the Occupational Skill.

Figure 1: The structure of the UK Standard Skills Classification

Figure 1: The structure of the UK Standard Skills Classification

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the different elements of the UK Standard Skills Classification and how these relate to each other.

Occupational Skills are organised into a four-level hierarchy, from Level 1 at the top to Level 4 at the bottom:

• Level 1 includes 22 broad Skill Domains
• Level 2 splits the Skill Domains into 106 more specific Skill Areas
• Level 3 refines these Skills Areas into 606 Skill Groups
• Level 4, the most detailed level, defines 3,343 individual Occupational Skills across these Skill Groups

Level 4 Occupational Skills are linked to 13 Core Skills.

Level 4 Occupational Skills are also linked to 21,963 Occupational Tasks and 4,926 Knowledge concepts. There is also a  link between Occupational Tasks and Knowledge concepts.

Definitions and classification principles

Underpinning the construction of the SSC is the definition of the term ‘Skill’. Two classes of skills are recognised, Occupational Skills and Core Skills.

An Occupational Skill is defined as a capability enabling the competent performance of an Occupational Task. An Occupational Task is a job-related activity that typically requires the use of one or more skills. Occupational Tasks form the basis for the specification of a job, which is in turn defined in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) as “a set of occupational tasks and duties performed, or meant to be performed, by one person, including for an employer or in self-employment”.

The term ‘capability’ refers to the ability of a person to undertake a specific task, while the qualifying phrase ‘competent performance’ is an agreed level of proficiency to which the task should be conducted. Levels of proficiency may be set by employers, regulatory bodies, or by the recipient of a service provided by a self-employed person.

Occupational Skills combine with knowledge to provide the required capability for competent performance of a task. For example, the skills needed to install a gas heating boiler are similar to those needed to install a heat pump, but a materially different body of knowledge is required to ensure that the installation is functional and safety compliant.

Core Skills are more generic in nature. Core Skills are fundamental abilities that contribute to the capability to carry out the tasks associated with a specific job. They are often transferable, meaning they can be applied across different sectors of activity and roles. Employers value Core Skills because they show a person’s ability to learn, adapt, and work effectively in a variety of situations.

Other definitions used in the structure of the SSC are the concepts of transferability of a skill, and the main activities associated with the exercise of a specific skill.

Skill transferability relates to the ease with which a person who can perform the task or set of tasks associated with a specific skill, can competently perform some other task or set of tasks associated with a different skill. Skill transferability is a key component within the structure of the classification, in that it shows the potential that a person has to move between jobs. The concept of skill transferability is operationalised via the estimated time it would take for a person to acquire the knowledge and expertise required for competent performance of a task. This is referred to as ‘time to become competent’.

Principles underlying the hierarchical structure of the SSC

The SSC is structured as a four-level hierarchy. At the top level, skills are clustered into the 22 Skill Domains shown in Table 1. Each Skill Domain relates to a broad activity area. The exercise of a skill represents an activity, defined in part by the active verb that forms the first part of the skill label. Grouping skills in this manner forms the highest level of aggregation of the SSC, the Skill Domains. Twenty-two Skill Domains are identified in terms of these broad activity areas. These are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Skill Domains and Skill Areas within the SSC

Skill Domain ID	Skill Domain name	Skill Areas
SD.01	Researching and Analysing	Conducting scientific surveys and research. Conducting commercial and legal research. Compiling, validating and preparing data. Analysing and interpreting information and data. Forecasting and predicting outcomes and trends.
SD.02	Designing and Creating	Designing architecture, building systems. Designing landscapes, mining and water systems. Designing industrial machinery, equipment and systems. Designing industrial processes, materials and techniques. Designing non-technical consumer products. Designing technical solutions and prototypes. Designing digital interfaces and user experiences. Creating visual designs, graphics and animations. Creating and editing original written material. Creating performing arts content and designs.
SD.03	Planning and Resourcing	Coordinating events, bookings and schedules. Planning transportation, travel and logistics. Determining project requirements and plans. Procuring and managing supplies. Planning operations, controls and contingencies.
SD.04	Programming and Implementing (Digital Tools and Systems)	Designing and managing cloud and network infrastructure. Developing digital technology specifications, controls and policies. Developing and deploying applications. Installing, integrating, securing and maintaining digital technology systems. Using and developing AI tools. Manage and support online systems and content.
SD.05	Constructing and Installing	Building external structures and surfaces. Installing building interior systems and equipment. Installing mechanical and pressurised systems and equipment. Installing electrical and electronic systems and equipment.
SD.06	Manufacturing and Processing	Manufacturing, assembling and customising components. Implementing and refining advanced manufacturing. Processing food, beverages and natural materials.
SD.07	Operating and Monitoring	Monitoring extraction, production and processing. Operating manufacturing and processing machinery and equipment. Operating and monitoring outdoor machinery and equipment. Operating and monitoring water systems and equipment. Operating and monitoring transport systems and equipment. Operating and monitoring electrical and electronic equipment. Operating and monitoring safety and control systems. Operating specialist tools and scientific instruments. Joining and moulding components. Colouring, coating or finishing objects.
SD.08	Planting and Growing	Farming crops and conserving nature. Gardening, landscaping and maintaining trees.
SD.09	Breeding and Nurturing (Animals)	Diagnosing, breeding and treating animals. Caring for and training animals.
SD.10	Diagnosing and Treating (Healthcare)	Performing patient diagnostic assessments and tests. Diagnosing patients and prescribing treatments. Providing medical treatments and procedures. Providing therapy, counselling and rehabilitation. Providing specialist nursing and maternity care.
SD.11	Serving and Caring	Providing personal care and support services. Providing hair and cosmetic services. Preparing and serving food and drinks. Enforcing regulations and laws. Rescuing and protecting people.
SD.12	Advising and Supporting	Advising and supporting vulnerable people. Advising on health, exercise and wellbeing. Advising on finance, organisational operations and sustainability. Advising and supporting on property and the natural environment. Advising and supporting on legal issues, processes and disputes. Advising and supporting on education and personal development.
SD.13	Educating and Training	Developing instructional plans and materials. Teaching academic subjects. Teaching creative subjects and skills. Teaching work related subject and skills. Teaching and coaching sports and recreation.
SD.14	Evaluating and Inspecting	Evaluating individual needs, abilities and performance. Investigating accidents, crimes and compliance. Inspecting and testing structures and equipment. Inspecting and testing facilities, cargo and vehicles. Evaluating object characteristics, qualities and function. Evaluating environments, conditions and risks. Evaluating animal welfare and biosecurity. Evaluating service and programme effectiveness. Evaluating and verifying information.
SD.15	Accounting and Financing	Processing and reconciling financial transactions. Managing trades, mergers and investments. Managing financial operations and payroll. Analysing financial data and forecasting budgets.
SD.16	Managing and Directing	Leading organisational operations and improvements. Managing and supervising staff. Managing facilities, transportation and maintenance. Managing projects and processes. Coordinating emergency, military and political activities.
SD.17	Marketing and Selling	Developing and implementing marketing strategies. Selling products in person.
SD.18	Communicating and Performing	Communicating complex, technical or sensitive information. Communicating effectively with new groups or audiences. Performing musical, dance and theatrical routines. Communicating, translating and interpreting information in different languages.
SD.19	Recording and Documenting	Creating legal and official documentation and records. Documenting interviews and compiling reports. Managing organisational and operational records.
SD.20	Handling and Transporting	Sorting and distributing items. Handling and moving heavy items. Handling heavy and hazardous materials. Operating transport and passenger vehicles.
SD.21	Maintaining and Repairing (Physical Objects)	Maintaining mechanical and pressurised equipment. Maintaining structures and infrastructure. Maintaining water systems and equipment. Maintaining and repairing products and tools. Maintaining electrical and electronic equipment.
SD.22	Cleaning and Restoring	Cleaning and restoring items and equipment. Cleaning and decontaminating buildings and areas.

Beneath the Skill Domains sit 106 Skill Areas and 606 Skill Groups. Each Skill Area elaborates the Skill Domain again in terms of the variety of activities that sit within the same domain. For example, the Skill Domain ‘Researching and analysing’ consists of the following Skill Areas:

• Conducting scientific surveys and research
• Conducting commercial and legal research
• Compiling, validating and preparing data
• Analysing and interpreting information and data
• Forecasting and predicting outcomes and trends

Skill Areas are defined to gather distinct sets of skills that fall within the same Skill Domain, yet the activities are sufficiently distinct and may call upon different bodies of knowledge, varied materials worked with, or techniques employed. Extending the above example, the Skill Area ‘Conducting scientific surveys and research’ is distinct from the other 4 Skill Areas within this domain in that it requires scientific knowledge and expertise in the conduct of surveys.

More detail and description of the activities within each Skill Area is available at the next level of disaggregation – the Skill Groups. Continuing this example, ‘Conducting scientific surveys and research’ consists of 16 different Skill Groups. At this level a degree of transferability is evident, in that a specific job may draw upon skills from one or more of the following Skill Groups:

• Analyse and evaluate chemical properties
• Analyse and interpret research data
• Analyse and manage archaeological findings
• Analyse and monitor air quality data
• Analyse geological and mineral resources
• Conduct agricultural research
• Conduct and design research surveys
• Conduct environmental and hydrographic surveys
• Conduct fish population and migration studies
• Conduct genetic and genome research
• Conduct mechanical and structural analysis
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research
• Conduct research on medical conditions and treatments
• Develop and design research methodologies
• Research and compile reference materials
• Research and develop chemical products

Each Skill Group is comprised of a set of Occupational Skills. 

For example, the Skill Group ‘Analyse and evaluate chemical properties’ covers the following Occupational Skills:

Table 2: Example skill descriptions

Skill label	Skill description
Analyse chemical substances	Examine the composition and properties of chemical compounds.
Analyse samples using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy	Examine and interpret the molecular structure of samples by employing NMR spectroscopy to identify chemical properties.
Detect and identify poisons	Identify and analyse toxic substances to ensure safety and compliance.
Perform flow cytometry	Use flow cytometry to analyse the physical and chemical characteristics of cells or particles.
Perform FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analysis	Conduct FTIR analysis to identify chemical substances by measuring their infrared spectra.
Perform toxicology studies	Conduct research and tests to study the effects of toxic substances on living organisms.

It is at this level that the extent of the similarity of skills within the group becomes evident.  A chemist may be required to analyse chemical substances, and the skill involved relates to the equipment used, the knowledge required for analysis, and the methods of analysis. With a specific body of knowledge about the chemical properties of toxic substances, this skill can be focussed on the detection and identification of toxic substances, which could form part of the skill set required for a forensic scientist.

Figure 2: Example snapshot of the SSC

Figure 2: Example snapshot of the SSC

Figure 2 illustrates the components of the SSC, using the ‘Serving and Caring’ Skill Domain to show example content for each element. It shows a hierarchical framework progressing from the ‘Serving and Caring’ Skill Domain to:

• Skill Areas: includes ‘Providing personal care and support services’, ‘Providing hair and cosmetic services’ and other categories not listed
• Skill Groups: examples include ‘Providing childcare services’, ‘Provide end-of-life care’ and other categories not listed
• Skills: examples include ‘Care for young children’, ‘Arrange childcare or educational settings for child safety’ and other categories not listed

The skill ‘Care for young children’ then links to the several examples of tasks, occupations, knowledge and qualifications including:

• Tasks: ‘Transport children to and from nursery and school as part of childcare duties’ and ‘Use play or drawing techniques with younger children’ and other categories not listed
• Occupations: day care managers, early education and childcare services proprietors, play therapists, neonatal nurses and other categories not listed
• Knowledge: ‘Child Care’, ‘Child Development’, ‘Child Protection’, ‘Child Psychology’, and ‘Early Years Education’ and other categories not listed
• Qualifications: City and Guilds Level 1 Award in Caring for Children, and Pearson BTEC Level 2 Diploma for Early Years Practitioners and other categories not listed

Mappings

Primary mappings

As well as internal concept mappings between Skills, Tasks, Knowledge and Core Skills, the SSC also provides mappings to standard UK occupations and qualifications. Both Tasks and Occupational Skills are mapped to Sub Unit Groups (SUGs) and Unit Groups (UGs) as defined in the 2020 version of the UK Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).

The initial importance estimates for skills against SUGs were derived from multiple inputs, including existing job profile mappings, analysis of job advert data and related task profiles. These were then compared against values generated using a Large Language Model (LLM) prompt with significant discrepancies being manually checked and reconciled.

These values will, however, be regenerated for SSC v1.0 using a single consistent method of generation, and likely LLM based (the models available for the original mapping exercise, such as gpt-4, were not reliable enough for this). The revised mapping will be validated back against the current mapping and also using domain expert feedback currently being collected.

The current SSC Task to SUG mapping is already based primarily on LLM-derived ‘task relatedness’ values from evaluation of potential task matches identified from sources including existing task libraries and UK job vacancy data. Following a sample inspection, matches assigned a relatedness score below 50% were excluded from the mapping.

The SSC Skills and Knowledge concepts are also linked to Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations) registered qualifications, the Higher Education Coding of Subjects (HECoS) and Skills England Occupational Standards (OS).

The primary mappings provided by the SSC are summarised in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Primary mappings in the SSC

Figure 3: Primary mappings in the SSC

Figure 3 illustrates the interconnectedness of the 6 concepts of the SSC in a network diagram. The concepts sit inside circles which are linked together by lines which represent the connections or mappings between the concepts. The overall shape forms a pentagon.

The 6 concepts are: Skills, Core Skills, Courses, Knowledge, Tasks, and Jobs.

The central concept, Skills, sits inside the shape, and is directly connected to the other 5 circles which form the outer corners of the pentagon.

Courses are mapped to Knowledge, Knowledge is mapped to Tasks, Tasks are mapped to Jobs, Jobs are mapped to Core Skills. The final connection between Core Skills and Courses is in a light grey because that mapping is not available.

Secondary mappings

The SSC also provides secondary mappings to several existing classifications. A full list of the available mappings can be found in Appendix A.

Skills:

• SSC Skills to O*NET Detailed Work Activities (DWAs) (3,234 skills, representing 97% of all SSC Skills, were successfully matched)
• SSC Skills to ESCO skills (3,343 skills, representing 100% of all SSC Skills, were successfully matched)
• SSC Skills to AGCAS graduate job profile skills (1,451 skills, representing 43% of all SSC Skills, were successfully matched)

Tasks:

• SSC Tasks to O*NET tasks (17,934 tasks, representing 82% of all SSC Tasks, were successfully matched)
• SSC Tasks to AGCAS responsibilities (11,382 tasks, representing 52% of all SSC Tasks, were successfully matched)
• SSC Tasks to National Careers Service (NCS) day-to-day tasks (11,349 tasks, representing 52% of all SSC Tasks, were successfully matched)

Knowledge:

• SSC Knowledge to ESCO knowledge (1,283 knowledge concepts, representing 26% of all SSC Knowledge concepts, were successfully matched)
• SSC Knowledge to O*NET - Knowledge, Tools Used and Technology Skills (1,299 knowledge concepts, representing 26% of all SSC Knowledge concepts, were successfully matched)
• SSC Knowledge to LDCSC - Learn Direct Classification of Subject Codes (1,739 knowledge concepts, representing 35% of all SSC Knowledge concepts, were successfully matched)
• SSC Knowledge to Stack Exchange Topic Tags (697 knowledge concepts, representing 14% of all SSC Knowledge concepts, were successfully matched)
• SSC Knowledge to Wikipedia Article Titles (4,417 knowledge concepts, representing 90% of all SSC Knowledge concepts, were successfully matched)

Skill categorisation

The 3,343 SSC Occupational Skills (the most disaggregated level of the SSC) have been categorised into several other groupings.

These are:

• Science, Technology and Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine and Health (STEM-M&H) skills
• Green skills
• Numeracy skills
• Digital skills

These categorisations will allow users of the SSC to explore the classification in different ways.