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What is a learning and development consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Mary Collins

Every organization is searching for an opportunity to improve their workers' performance to meet various business goals every year. You may have a checklist of criteria or an assignment to measure the employees' and departments' performance and gaps. Still, a passionate learning and development consultant can do more than that.

Professional learning and development consultants are responsible for analyzing, researching the employees, and assessing different aspects to identify areas of improvement. They create multiple programs and show them to upper-level officials for approval and collaborate with departmental managers for running them. Consultants devise learning strategies and plans based on various research results for the development of employees' skills.

For offering your services as a consultant, you can make an income of $34.58 per hour. Get a bachelor's or master's degree in business or human resource management to pursue a consulting career. Businesses, companies, and private agencies look to hire talented consultants.

What general advice would you give to a learning and development consultant?

Mary CollinsMary Collins LinkedIn profile

Professor, Creative Writing/Nonfiction, Program Coordinator, Writing Minors, Career/Internship Advisor, Central Connecticut State University

The main point: your career STARTS IN COLLEGE. The one best place to secure good skills is at the university itself. You can take on tasks at the Student Center that no company would hire you for because you are so inexperienced. So edit the literary journal, write for the newspaper, work for the radio station. Take an internship for course credit. Those that do these things and secure a good faculty mentor do much better when they get out than students who do not. Indeed, national studies show that these factors are more important than the school you go to by far.
ScoreLearning And Development ConsultantUS Average
Salary
6.0

Avg. Salary $76,804

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 6.82%

Black or African American 9.62%

Hispanic or Latino 15.36%

Unknown 6.70%

White 60.99%

Gender

female 61.25%

male 38.75%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Learning and development consultant career paths

Key steps to become a learning and development consultant

  1. Explore learning and development consultant education requirements

    Most common learning and development consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.7 %

    Master's

    21.9 %

    Associate

    5.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific learning and development consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service10.22%
    Continuous Improvement9.00%
    Learning Solutions6.68%
    Program Effectiveness5.96%
    Employee Training5.34%
  3. Complete relevant learning and development consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New learning and development consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a learning and development consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real learning and development consultant resumes.
  4. Research learning and development consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Lead experiential learning in supervisory skills, conflict management, leadership, team building and organization process effectiveness.
    • Consult on employee satisfaction and climate improvement, process improvement, change management, team development, and organizational development interventions.
    • Develop and facilitate performance management initiatives including defining accountability and measuring results.
    • Streamline and execute marketing sales incentive programs, eLearning and content delivery.
  5. Prepare your learning and development consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your learning and development consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a learning and development consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable learning and development consultant resume templates

    Build a professional learning and development consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your learning and development consultant resume.
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
    Learning And Development Consultant Resume
  6. Apply for learning and development consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a learning and development consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first learning and development consultant job

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Are you a learning and development consultant?

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Average learning and development consultant salary

The average learning and development consultant salary in the United States is $76,804 per year or $37 per hour. Learning and development consultant salaries range between $51,000 and $113,000 per year.

Average learning and development consultant salary
$76,804 Yearly
$36.92 hourly

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How do learning and development consultants rate their job?

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Learning and development consultant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

First of all, i'll say that i like the routine. I have had amazing health benefits because of waking up early and go to school because i live quite far. In the school, i like the working mechanism and how everyone is committed and dedicated for the job. The most important thing i like is that how i am able to make my place in the room of young, enthusiast children who see me as their mentor. I love being the change maker and i's always love to be a professional learning specialist because this is what angels would do.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

Sharing your experience for the benefit of others. Making the learners feel enriched with their take always from your session. Are able to execute and apply their learnings, successfully.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

OD careers allow for a multitude of projects that go beyond training and development.

Cons

Skills that are helpful in this field include change management, an understanding of HR processes, talent development, and many others.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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