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What does a learning consultant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Brian Simmons

Learning consultants are professionals who act as a link between companies, their corporate training products, and their audience. Their typical job includes providing support during and after the sales process, participating in conference calls, meetings, and product demonstrations, and assisting with the implementation of a learning management system (LMS). A learning consultant is also responsible for making course recommendations based on the client's goals and needs and evaluating the effectiveness of training programs, along with suggesting improvements.

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Learning consultant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real learning consultant resumes:

  • Manage intranet sites, using Dreamweaver, for accessing e-Learning courses.
  • Lead experiential learning in supervisory skills, conflict management, leadership, team building and organization process effectiveness.
  • Collaborate with SMEs to develop training material that meets the needs of the organization.
  • Analyze needs, design, develop and deliver courses using ADDIE and ISD processes.
  • Create instructor guides, participant guides, storyboards, activity handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Develop user friendly e-Learning materials using the ADDIE methodology that is currently being used by employees.
  • Collaborate with clients, leadership and SMEs to develop course strategies, design training plans and objectives.
  • Design and develop eLearning courses.
  • Create Citrix software demos using Camtasia
  • Design instructor-le and eLearning training modules.
  • Design PowerPoint presentations for formal training sessions.
  • Consult on innovative healthcare performance measures design for scorecard and incident reporting software system.
  • Collaborate closely with diverse teams and capture business requirements to translate them into useful data for a healthcare specific application.
  • Develop an in-depth diversity train-the-trainer program for facilitators that provide legally-based fundamentals, facilitation skills, facilitator assessment, and testing.
  • Update training website pages using HTML.

Learning consultant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 7% of Learning Consultants are proficient in Instructional Design, Project Management, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Instructional skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Learning Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Instructional Design, 7%

    Collaborated with technical writers and consultants to develop multimedia based instructional design system utilizing graphics, video, animations and audio.

  • Project Management, 7%

    Provide training consulting services (needs/gap analysis, training options/alternatives, project management, design/development advice, and implementation support).

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Key Achievements at HCSC: Project-managed the redesign of a 10-week Customer Service Representative instructor-led curriculum to a five-week blended solution.

  • Learning Solutions, 5%

    Gathered requirements, analyzed extant materials & skill gaps, identified non-learning challenges and designed learning solutions for delivery practitioners.

  • HR, 4%

    Collaborate with HR Business Partners to determine future direction, prioritize gaps and identify new, innovative curricula offerings.

  • PowerPoint, 4%

    Company Facilitator Guide, Participant Guide, and PowerPoint required instructional materials, including a train-the- presentation.

"instructional design," "project management," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that learning consultants use at work. You can find even more learning consultant responsibilities below, including:

Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a learning consultant to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what learning consultants do because "specialists should be resourceful when developing training materials." Additionally, a learning consultant resume shows how learning consultants use creativity: "managed offshore teams of project managers, instructional designers, and creative designers. "

Instructional skills. Another essential skill to perform learning consultant duties is instructional skills. Learning consultants responsibilities require that "training and development specialists deliver employee training programs." Learning consultants also use instructional skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "prepare senior leaders to help improve performance of organizational talent by developing and providing instructional design, workshop facilitation and presentations. "

Analytical skills. This is an important skill for learning consultants to perform their duties. For an example of how learning consultant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "training and development specialists must evaluate training programs, methods, and materials and choose those that best fit each situation." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a learning consultant: "created gap analysis or needs analysis and used that analysis to prepare learning objectives appropriate for the target audience. ".

Communication skills. A big part of what learning consultants do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to learning consultant responsibilities because "training and development specialists must convey information clearly and facilitate learning to diverse audiences." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical learning consultant tasks: "conducted needs assessments and needs analyses for potential transition fitness clients provided communications and problem-solving expertise to company partners"

All learning consultant skills

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Compare different learning consultants

Learning consultant vs. Trainer lead

As a training lead, you are responsible for overseeing a company's employee training and development activities. You are also expected to perform various tasks that may include identifying training needs for the organization, supervising trainers' work, and developing effective employee training programs. Other duties and responsibilities may be conducting a readiness assessment, maintaining training information, and coordinating and reviewing the logistics of training materials. Also, you are expected to organize safety training and develop conflict resolution modules and diversity appreciation.

The annual salary of trainer leads is $7,410 lower than the average salary of learning consultants.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both learning consultant and trainer lead positions are skilled in customer service, hr, and training programs.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between learning consultants and trainer lead. For instance, learning consultant responsibilities require skills such as "instructional design," "project management," "learning solutions," and "powerpoint." Whereas a trainer lead is skilled in "punctuality," "cpr," "leadership," and "safety procedures." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Trainer leads tend to reach lower levels of education than learning consultants. In fact, trainer leads are 11.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Learning consultant vs. Development specialist

A development specialist is responsible for monitoring career training and programs for the employees, improving their capabilities and maximum potential to contribute to the company's growth and success. Development specialists also assist in assessing departmental operations, evaluating training needs, and facilitate skill development discussions and exercises. A development specialist helps identify business opportunities to generate more revenues for the organization and improve profitability status. A development specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills and comprehensive knowledge of human management to assist employees with their inquiries and concerns.

Development specialist positions earn lower pay than learning consultant roles. They earn a $19,241 lower salary than learning consultants per year.A few skills overlap for learning consultants and development specialists. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "project management," "customer service," and "hr. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, learning consultant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "instructional design," "learning solutions," "performance gaps," and "business processes." Meanwhile, a development specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "excellent interpersonal," "java," and "salesforce." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Development specialists tend to reach lower levels of education than learning consultants. In fact, they're 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for learning consultants in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Brian SimmonsDr. Brian Simmons LinkedIn profile

Associate Provost, Columbia International University

COVID 19 has necessitated a rapid academic response to the educational needs of students. Teaching and learning that was conducted in a F2F mode of content delivery were thrust online last spring. Today, much teaching and education continue to be offered, either online or in a blended format. When we get beyond the pandemic, we will engage in reflective practice to glean from our experiences. My hunch is that there will be a new standard and more willingness to engage students online via learning management systems.

Learning consultant vs. Workforce development specialist

A workforce development specialist is responsible for designing and conducting training and development programs to significantly improve organizational and individual performance. You will perform a few duties that include evaluating training delivery modes, such as virtual or in-person to optimize training effectiveness and costs, developing, obtaining, or organizing training guides and procedure manuals, and coordinating the placement of trainees. As a workforce development specialist, you also have to choose and assign training instructors and negotiating contracts with clients.

On average, workforce development specialists earn lower salaries than learning consultants, with a $35,919 difference per year.By looking over several learning consultants and workforce development specialists resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "hr," "powerpoint," and "training programs." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from learning consultant resumes include skills like "instructional design," "project management," "customer service," and "learning solutions," whereas a workforce development specialist is more likely to list skills in "social services," "community resources," "career development," and "supportive services. "

Workforce development specialists earn the best pay in the transportation industry, where they command an average salary of $60,428. Learning consultants earn the highest pay from the insurance industry, with an average salary of $84,658.Most workforce development specialists achieve a lower degree level compared to learning consultants. For example, they're 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learning consultant vs. Corporate trainer

A corporate trainer is someone who essentially works as a teacher in a corporate setting. Daily duties include training employees with new company systems, skills, and strategies. They monitor the engagement levels and performance of the training participants. Also, they collaborate with project stakeholders to create training content and design. Corporate trainers must have high interpersonal skills to connect with trainers easily and to get them to participate actively in the training sessions. Preferred candidates for the job are those with a bachelor's degree in human resources or those with relevant job experience in the same field.

Corporate trainers tend to earn a lower pay than learning consultants by an average of $20,782 per year.While both learning consultants and corporate trainers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, hr, and powerpoint, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "instructional design," "project management," "learning solutions," and "performance gaps" are skills that commonly show up on learning consultant resumes. On the other hand, corporate trainers use skills like corporate training, account executives, training classes, and training curriculum on their resumes.corporate trainers enjoy the best pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,663. For comparison, learning consultants earn the highest salary in the insurance industry.corporate trainers reach lower levels of education compared to learning consultants, in general. The difference is that they're 11.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of learning consultant

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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