Membership Grades and Admission Framework
The grades of membership, their SFIA entry levels and eligibility criteria, and how admission and upgrading are assessed.
- Reference
- IIOET-FWK-0006
- Version
- 1.0
- Issued
- 8 October 2026
- Approved by
- Board of IIOET Limited
- Classification
- Public
1. Purpose
This framework sets out IIoET’s grades of membership, who each grade is for, and how applicants are admitted, assessed and upgraded. Its central principle is that each assessed grade stands for a recognised level of professional practice. When an employer, a client or a member of the public sees AMIIoET, MIIoET, FIIoET or SFIIoET after a name, they should be able to find out exactly what the holder has demonstrated to earn it.
To make that possible, IIoET measures practice against the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), which describes seven levels of responsibility that apply across technology disciplines. SFIA suits a body that spans artificial intelligence, quantum, blockchain and cyber security, because its levels describe the scope and accountability of a practitioner’s work rather than any single technology. IIoET adds a domain overlay, described in section 5, so that the evidence expected in each domain is clear.
This framework is read with the Code of Conduct (IIOET-COD-0005), the Continuing Professional Development Policy (IIOET-POL-0008) and the Designatory Letters Policy (IIOET-POL-0010).
2. The grades
IIoET has six grades for individuals, one conferred grade, and Corporate membership for organisations. Student Affiliate and Affiliate are open grades and carry no letters. Associate Member, Member, Fellow and Senior Fellow are assessed grades, each mapped to an SFIA entry level. Honorary Fellowship is conferred by IIoET and is not mapped to SFIA.
| Grade | Letters | SFIA entry level |
|---|---|---|
| Student Affiliate | None | Not mapped: learning |
| Affiliate | None | Not mapped: open interest grade |
| Associate Member | AMIIoET | Level 3, Apply |
| Member | MIIoET | Level 4, Enable |
| Fellow | FIIoET | Level 5, Ensure and advise (the grade covers levels 5 and 6) |
| Senior Fellow | SFIIoET | Level 7, Set strategy, inspire and mobilise |
| Honorary Fellow | HonFIIoET | Not mapped: conferred, not assessed |
Associate Member is deliberately the first earned mark. It recognises a practitioner who works with real professional responsibility in one of IIoET’s domains, and it gives early-career practitioners a credible, assessed standard to aim for. Placing Senior Fellow at level 7 makes it a deliberately small grade for people setting direction at the highest level. Practitioners working at level 6, Initiate and influence, are admitted as Fellows.
Corporate membership
Corporate membership is for organisations that develop their people, support the Emerging Careers Pathway and contribute to standards. It carries no designatory letters and confers no grade on any individual. A Corporate member names one or more representatives, who are expected to observe the Code of Conduct when acting in connection with IIoET. Corporate membership is offered in tiers that reflect the size of the organisation and the extent of its involvement, and the tiers and their benefits are published on iioet.org.
3. Eligibility
3.1 Membership is open to individuals aged 18 and over. The same minimum age applies to every grade, including Student Affiliate.
3.2 Every applicant, at every grade, agrees to the Code of Conduct and confirms that the information they give is accurate.
3.3 Student Affiliate. Open to anyone enrolled on a course of study in a field relevant to one or more of IIoET’s four domains. Student Affiliates move to Affiliate, or apply for an assessed grade, when their studies end.
3.4 Affiliate. Open to anyone with a professional interest in one or more of the four domains. No assessment is required.
3.5 Associate Member. For practitioners who can show professional practice at SFIA level 3, Apply, in at least two skills from the IIoET skill set for their domain.
3.6 Member. For experienced practitioners who can show practice at SFIA level 4, Enable, in at least two skills from the IIoET skill set for their domain.
3.7 Fellow. For established experts who can show practice at SFIA level 5, Ensure and advise, or level 6, Initiate and influence, in at least two skills from the IIoET skill set for their domain, together with a distinguished and sustained contribution to that domain, and who accept the Fellowship contribution commitments in section 7.
3.8 Senior Fellow. For recognised leaders who can show practice at SFIA level 7, Set strategy, inspire and mobilise, in at least two skills from the IIoET skill set for their domain, together with leadership that shapes the direction of their domain, and who accept the Fellowship contribution commitments in section 7.
3.9 Eligibility is decided on evidence of the level at which an applicant works, not on job title, length of service or academic qualification alone. Qualifications and years of experience are relevant evidence, but neither is a requirement or a substitute for evidence of practice.
4. Evidence for the assessed grades
An applicant for an assessed grade presents a structured body of evidence. The evidence must show the applicant’s own work, recent enough to reflect their current practice, and described clearly enough for an assessor to judge the level of responsibility involved.
4.1 Skills. The applicant shows the SFIA level for their grade in at least two skills drawn from the IIoET skill set for their primary domain. For each skill, they describe specific pieces of work, what they personally did, and the scope of their responsibility.
4.2 Generic attributes. The applicant shows the generic attributes that SFIA defines for the same level. These are evidenced through the same work examples, rather than in a separate statement, wherever possible.
4.3 Referees. The applicant names two referees who can confirm the work described. At least one referee should have supervised, commissioned or relied on that work. Referees for Fellow and Senior Fellow should themselves be senior in the field.
4.4 Supporting material. The applicant may add qualifications, certifications, publications, patents, open-source contributions or other material that supports the claim. IIoET certifications, once available, are accepted as evidence for the skills they cover under the Certification Framework (IIOET-FWK-0009).
4.5 Professional history. The applicant gives a summary of their professional history and declares any criminal conviction, regulatory finding or professional disciplinary outcome relevant to their fitness for membership. A declaration does not automatically bar admission; it is considered on its merits.
IIoET will publish guidance and an evidence template for applicants before applications open. The guidance will explain the levels in IIoET’s own words and point applicants to the SFIA Foundation’s published framework for the authoritative level and skill descriptions.
Making an application
Applications are made online through the member area once it opens. Until then, prospective applicants register their interest through iioet.org. An application for an assessed grade moves through the following stages.
4.6 The applicant chooses the grade and primary domain, and confirms their agreement to the Code of Conduct.
4.7 The applicant submits their evidence, using the IIoET evidence template, and the names and contact details of their referees.
4.8 IIoET checks that the application is complete, contacts the referees and asks them to confirm the work described. Referees are asked to confirm facts, not to assess the applicant against SFIA.
4.9 The complete application is passed for assessment under section 6. The applicant may be asked for further evidence or, for Fellow and Senior Fellow, invited to interview.
4.10 On admission, the applicant pays the annual fee for the grade, receives a certificate and digital badge, and may choose to appear on the public register. Entries on the public register are opt-in for Associate Members and Members. Fellows, Senior Fellows and Honorary Fellows are listed by default, because their standing is public by nature, and may ask not to be listed.
Fairness and reasonable adjustments
IIoET assesses every application on its merits, without regard to any protected characteristic or to where or how the applicant gained their experience. Practice gained outside formal employment, such as open-source work, research, volunteering or independent consultancy, is assessed in the same way as practice gained in employment. Applicants who need adjustments to the application or interview process, for example because of disability, can ask for them, and IIoET will make reasonable adjustments without changing the standard being assessed.
Handling applicants’ information
IIoET uses the information in an application only to decide the application and to administer membership, and handles it in line with its privacy notice. Evidence submitted is shared only with the assessors, panel members and referees involved, all of whom keep it confidential. Information about criminal convictions is processed only where the law permits it and with appropriate safeguards.
5. The domain overlay
SFIA provides the measure of level. The domain overlay says which skills count in each of IIoET’s domains and what good evidence looks like there. Each applicant chooses a primary domain; practice that spans domains is welcome, and applicants may draw their two skills from different domain skill sets where their work genuinely sits at the convergence between them.
Each domain skill set is a list of SFIA skills, published in IIoET’s applicant guidance and reviewed each year. The skills named below are the core of each set. The kinds of practice that count in each domain are as follows.
Artificial intelligence
The design, development, evaluation and deployment of machine learning and other artificial intelligence systems; data engineering and data science that underpin them; AI assurance, testing and red teaming; AI governance, risk management and compliance; the security of models and AI supply chains; agentic and autonomous systems; and the responsible deployment of AI in regulated sectors.
Core SFIA skills: Machine learning; Data science; Data engineering; Software development; Systems design; Testing; Research; Specialist advice; Governance; Risk management.
Quantum
Quantum computing, including algorithm design, software and hardware engineering; post-quantum cryptography and cryptographic migration planning; quantum communications and sensing; and advising organisations and government on quantum readiness. SFIA has little dedicated coverage of quantum practice, so applicants will often evidence general skills, such as research, systems design or specialist advice, through quantum work. So that assessors judge such evidence consistently, IIoET’s evidence guidance for quantum asks applicants to show, through specific pieces of work, the scientific or engineering problem they addressed, the methods and tools they used, the decisions they were personally accountable for, and the effect of the work on the organisation or programme it served. Peer-reviewed publications, patents, code in public repositories and roles on funded research programmes are all accepted as supporting evidence.
Core SFIA skills: Research; Emerging technology monitoring; Specialist advice; Systems design; Software development; Information security; Solution architecture.
Blockchain
Distributed ledger architecture and engineering; smart contract development, security and assurance; tokenisation and digital assets; decentralised identity; and the regulation and standards that apply to them. As with quantum, SFIA has little dedicated coverage of blockchain practice. IIoET’s evidence guidance for blockchain asks applicants to show the systems they designed, built, audited or governed, their own responsibility within that work, and how they managed its security, correctness and regulatory obligations. Audit reports, published smart contract code, incident reports and contributions to standards or protocol governance are accepted as supporting evidence.
Core SFIA skills: Solution architecture; Software development; Systems design; Information security; Penetration testing; Testing; Specialist advice; Governance.
Cyber security
Security architecture and engineering; threat intelligence, detection and response; penetration testing and vulnerability research; cryptography and cryptographic transition; resilience and assurance; governance, risk and compliance; and security leadership. IIoET’s particular focus is where security meets emerging technology, but established cyber security practice is assessed on its merits.
Core SFIA skills: Information security; Security operations; Penetration testing; Vulnerability research; Threat intelligence; Information assurance; Incident management; Digital forensics; Solution architecture; Governance.
6. Assessment
6.1 Applications for Student Affiliate and Affiliate are checked against the eligibility criteria and admitted without assessment.
6.2 Applications for Associate Member and Member are assessed by trained assessors appointed by IIoET. Each application is assessed by two assessors working independently, who then agree a recommendation. Where they cannot agree, the application is referred to a third assessor or to a panel.
6.3 Applications for Fellow and Senior Fellow are assessed by a panel. A panel has at least one member from the applicant’s domain and at least one member from another domain, and is chaired by a Fellow or Senior Fellow. The panel may interview the applicant. Senior Fellow panels include at least one Senior Fellow once the grade has holders.
6.4 Assessors and panel members are themselves members at or above the grade being assessed, are trained in the use of this framework and SFIA, and declare any conflict of interest before reviewing an application. A conflicted assessor takes no part.
6.5 An assessment may recommend admission at the grade applied for, admission at a different grade where the evidence supports it, a request for further evidence, or refusal. A recommendation to admit at a lower grade is explained, and the applicant may accept it or withdraw.
6.6 Admission is confirmed by the Membership Committee, acting for the Board, on the recommendation of the assessors or panel. Reasons are given for every refusal.
6.7 IIoET aims to decide applications for Associate Member and Member within eight weeks of receiving a complete application, and applications for Fellow and Senior Fellow within twelve weeks. It monitors the consistency of decisions across assessors, panels and domains, and reports on it to the Board each year.
7. Fellowship contribution commitments
Fellowship and Senior Fellowship are positions of standing held in exchange for active contribution, not honorary titles. In addition to meeting the SFIA level, every Fellow and Senior Fellow commits to:
- Thought leadership: at least two papers a year in their domain, published in the IIoET Journal or Insights.
- Public engagement: webinars, talks, panels and similar contributions that raise the visibility of the field and of IIoET.
- Stewardship: participation in mentoring, assessment and standards work, including mentoring through the Emerging Careers Pathway.
These commitments sit on top of the SFIA level and are a separate test. They are reviewed each year at renewal, when the Fellow reports what they have contributed. A Fellow who has not met the commitments is asked to agree a plan to do so. IIoET takes account of circumstances such as illness, parental leave and caring responsibilities. Where a Fellow or Senior Fellow has not met the commitments, or an agreed plan, for two consecutive years without good reason, the Board may transfer them to the grade of Member.
8. Honorary Fellowship
Honorary Fellowship (HonFIIoET) is conferred by IIoET on people who have made an exceptional contribution to emerging technology, to the profession or to IIoET. There is no application route. Nominations may be made by any Fellow or Senior Fellow and are considered by the Membership Committee, which makes recommendations to the Board. The Board confers the honour. Honorary Fellows are bound by the Code of Conduct, are not required to meet the Fellowship contribution commitments, and pay no fee.
9. Upgrading
9.1 A member may apply to upgrade to a higher grade at any time once they meet its criteria. An upgrade application presents evidence at the level of the higher grade and is assessed in the same way as a new application for that grade.
9.2 A Student Affiliate or Affiliate may apply directly for any assessed grade they meet.
9.3 Continuing professional development is the expected route by which members grow from one SFIA level to the next. Members are encouraged to use their CPD record to plan and evidence progression, as described in the Continuing Professional Development Policy (IIOET-POL-0008).
9.4 An upgrade brings a new certificate, digital badge and designatory letters. The member uses the letters of their current grade only.
10. Appeals against admission decisions
10.1 An applicant may appeal against a decision to refuse admission or upgrade, or to admit at a lower grade, within 28 days of being told of the decision.
10.2 An appeal may be made on one or more of these grounds: the process in this framework was not followed in a way that affected the outcome; relevant evidence that was submitted was not taken into account; or the decision was one no reasonable assessor or panel could have reached on the evidence. Disagreement with the assessors’ professional judgement is not, by itself, a ground of appeal.
10.3 An appeal is heard by people who took no part in the original decision, at least one of whom holds a grade at or above the grade applied for. They may confirm the decision, substitute a different decision, or direct a fresh assessment. The applicant is told the outcome and the reasons within eight weeks of lodging the appeal.
10.4 The appeal decision is final within IIoET. An applicant who is refused may reapply when they have new evidence to present.
11. Founding Fellows
IIoET will invite a founding group of Fellows and Senior Fellows to establish the grades, lead the first assessments and open the Journal and Insights. Founding Fellows are admitted by invitation and assessment: they are assessed against the same standard as every later Fellow, so that the letters mean the same thing whenever they were awarded. Because no Fellows yet exist to sit on panels, the first Fellows are assessed by a Founding Assessment Panel appointed by the Board. The Panel has at least three members, at least one of whom is an independent assessor with no connection to IIoET, and no member takes part in assessing their own application. These transitional arrangements apply for the first twelve months after applications open, after which Fellowship panels are drawn from admitted Fellows and Senior Fellows.
12. Fees
Annual fees for each grade and for Corporate membership are set by the Board and published on iioet.org. The fee for the grade is payable on admission and at each renewal.
13. Holding a grade
Membership is held, not just awarded. A member keeps their grade by upholding the Code of Conduct, meeting the continuing professional development requirement for their grade and renewing each year. The public register on iioet.org is the authority on who holds a grade today. A grade may be suspended or withdrawn under the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure (IIOET-PRC-0007), and the use of letters ends on lapse, resignation, suspension or expulsion, as set out in the Designatory Letters Policy (IIOET-POL-0010).
14. SFIA attribution and version
This framework is built to SFIA 9 and will be reviewed when SFIA 10 is published. It refers to SFIA levels by number and name only. The authoritative descriptions of SFIA levels, generic attributes and skills are published by the SFIA Foundation and are not reproduced here. IIoET’s use of SFIA for professional membership is subject to the SFIA Foundation’s licence terms.