Defined in this standard are a data model for describing, referencing, and sharing competency definitions, and frameworks of competency definitions and rubrics in the context of online and distributed learning and in employment and work. This standard provides a way to formally represent the key characteristics of a competency definition, independently of its use in any particular context. It enables interoperability among learning systems that deal with competency information by providing a means for them to refer to common definitions with common meanings.

This standard describes referencing and sharing competency definitions (and frameworks of competency definitions with related classes) as used in education and training systems at all levels. In this standard, a competency is defined for a skill, knowledge, ability, attitude, habit of practice, or learning.

This standard provides a way to formally represent the core characteristics of a competency, whether it is highly contextualized, completely decontextualized, or anywhere in between. It enables interoperability among learning systems that deal with competency information by providing a means for them to refer to common definitions with common meanings. The standard provides a formal mechanism for profiling that extends the expressivity of the core characteristics using properties defined in other publicly available standards.