WHAT DOES A LEARNING SPECIALIST DO?
Published: Jan 27, 2026 - The Learning Specialist partners with instructional designers and leadership to ensure training materials are accurate, relevant, and aligned with organizational needs. This role involves delivering face-to-face and virtual training, monitoring new hires’ progress, providing coaching, managing training logistics, and supporting on-the-job learning experiences. The Specialist also evaluates program data, identifies learning gaps, and stays current on industry trends and best practices to enhance instructional quality and effectiveness.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Learning Specialist
1. Learning Specialist Duties
- Competency Development: Adapt employee competencies to build a sustainable pipeline of required skills.
- Workforce Alignment: Align workforce competencies with current and future business needs.
- Competency Frameworks: Provide a consistent, organization-wide view of required competencies.
- Gap Analysis: Define related actions to address identified competency gaps.
- Learning Solutions: Create common learning and development solutions to support skill growth.
- Learning Culture: Promote a continuous learning and self-directed development culture.
- Knowledge Sharing: Develop awareness and knowledge-sharing initiatives across the organization.
- Learning Deployment: Support learning deployment for critical employee populations.
- Knowledge Management: Ensure efficient and effective knowledge management practices.
2. Learning Specialist Details
- Stakeholder Partnership: Partner with business stakeholders to identify learning needs, solutions, and success metrics.
- Learning Analysis: Analyze organizational challenges to define effective learning strategies.
- Learning Research: Research innovative learning approaches to meet business needs.
- Curriculum Development: Develop a curriculum that builds internal capabilities and competencies.
- Learning Leadership: Lead internal seminars, workshops, and learning events.
- Learning Facilitation: Facilitate engaging learning activities across the organization.
- Content Development: Build and expand a library of internal learning materials and resources.
- Learning Culture: Promote a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
- E-Learning Design: Design and deliver high-engagement e-learning programs to maximize participation.
3. Learning Specialist Responsibilities
- Program Management: Organize and project manage core curriculum programs and multi-day learning events.
- Project Planning: Plan projects and schedules for learning initiatives.
- Status Leadership: Lead status meetings and deliver assigned action items.
- Task Management: Develop and maintain detailed task lists for programs and events.
- Event Planning: Plan learning events and coordinate logistics.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Organize and align internal stakeholders to support program delivery.
- Internal Marketing: Market learning programs and learning resources internally.
- SME Scheduling: Schedule internal subject matter experts to deliver learning programs.
- Program Hosting: Act as the primary host for junior programs.
- Participant Engagement: Welcome students and junior lawyers to learning events.
- Panel Moderation: Moderate panel discussions and keep programs on track.
- Session Facilitation: Ensure coverage of key topics and facilitate welcome sessions.
- System Administration: Maintain and update learning systems, including the learning management system.
- Relationship Management: Build and manage relationships with internal stakeholders and presenters to deliver effective learning programs.
4. Learning Specialist Accountabilities
- Training Needs Analysis: Identify and analyze training needs in the organization through close cooperation with line managers.
- Training Delivery: Design, deliver, and facilitate internal training programs in webinar and classroom formats at individual, functional, and organizational levels.
- E-Learning Development: Develop e-learning modules and learning paths using tools such as Articulate 360 and a professional learning platform.
- Training Planning: Monitor and manage the annual training plan across retail, headquarters, and distribution centers.
- Best Practice Research: Monitor best practices in the training field and introduce them into the organization.
- Vendor Management: Search, cooperate with, and evaluate external training providers and deliver tailored training programs and courses.
- Portfolio Optimization: Optimize the training portfolio and prepare training manuals.
- Budget Management: Control and monitor the assigned training budget.
- Learning Analytics: Use the e-learning platform, learning management system, and HR information system to generate reports and statistics based on specific key performance indicators.
5. Learning Specialist Functions
- Instructional Support: Support students through data-driven instructional cycles.
- Data Analysis: Use student performance data to inform instructional decisions.
- Tier 2 Planning: Participate in the instructional support team to design Tier 2 academic support plans.
- Tier 3 Planning: Participate in the instructional support team to design Tier 3 academic support plans.
- Disability Collaboration: Collaborate with grade-level teams to support students with suspected disabilities.
- Special Education Support: Collaborate with grade-level teams to support students with identified disabilities.
- Referral Documentation: Gather and compile data for school district referrals.
- IEP Development: Follow referral processes through the development of the initial IEP.
- Team Participation: Participate in weekly meetings within the assigned grade developmental band.
- Professional Development: Commit to ongoing professional development focused on special education support.
- Caseload Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for students on the assigned caseload.
6. Learning Specialist Overview
- Training Facilitation: Facilitate new hire and skills classes to ensure a consistent and complete understanding of programs.
- Learning Coordination: Plan, coordinate, and conduct learning for new and existing personnel.
- Learner Assessment: Assess, monitor, and report the progress of learners during classroom and self-paced modules.
- Learner Coaching: Coach and develop learners to support improvement and retention.
- Performance Analysis: Identify performance gaps, determine root causes, and provide solutions to learning colleagues.
- Learner Support: Research and respond to inquiries from learners to enhance knowledge and understanding.
- Program Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness of materials and facilitation based on learner feedback, quality results, and leader evaluation.
- Meeting Participation: Attend weekly conference calls, workgroups, and other meetings.
7. Learning Specialist Details and Accountabilities
- Instructional Design: Conduct instructional design, e-learning development, and training.
- Needs Assessment: Assess training needs and collaborate with internal clients and subject matter experts.
- Content Development: Develop and revise training in multiple formats.
- Learning Assets: Create learning assets based on direction from the Project Manager and subject matter experts, and incorporate feedback from the project team.
- Training Design: Design instructor-led, e-learning, and virtual training content.
- Program Delivery: Design and conduct company training programs.
- Asset Assembly: Assemble learning assets for training initiatives.
- Product Training: Build new product training for sellers to understand and effectively sell products, including sensors, scanners, software, voice headsets, and safety equipment.
- Project Collaboration: Work with a project manager and subject matter experts throughout the development process.
- E-Learning Materials: Gather details and develop PowerPoint materials to build e-learning content.
- Training Evaluation: Monitor and report the effectiveness of training on employees during orientation and for career development.
8. Learning Specialist Tasks
- Business Partnership: Partner with the business to provide technical training guidance.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with management and functional units to build and maintain strong customer relationships.
- Training Planning: Develop training plans aligned with employee and departmental responsibilities.
- Plan Implementation: Implement training plans in partnership with subject matter experts.
- Compliance Management: Maintain training plans to meet training needs and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Needs Assessment: Conduct needs assessments to identify appropriate learning solutions.
- Delivery Strategy: Select effective delivery methods based on identified development needs.
- Technical Training Design: Design GMP and technical training programs to support quality culture.
- Regulatory Training: Promote regulatory compliance through structured technical training.
- Training Facilitation: Facilitate technical training programs, including new hire orientation.
- Trainer Development: Facilitate train-the-trainer programs while adhering to company policies and health and safety regulations.
9. Learning Specialist Roles
- Instructional Partnership: Partner with the instructional designer to ensure instructional materials are accurate before implementation.
- Training Delivery: Conduct face-to-face or virtual classroom training for new hires using instructionally designed materials.
- Learner Observation: Observe and monitor new hires throughout training and provide constructive feedback and coaching.
- Workshop Facilitation: Deliver all content and facilitate face-to-face or virtual workshops designed by the learning and development department.
- Training Logistics: Complete all logistical steps for facilitated training sessions, including room reservations, online course assignments in the learning management system, and virtual classroom setup.
- On-the-Job Training: Partner with leadership to provide new hires with on-the-job experience through job shadowing, roundtables, and other activities during the training program.
- Needs Analysis: Collaborate with the instructional designer and leadership to complete the learning needs analysis to identify the root causes of learning gaps.
- Program Evaluation: Work with the instructional designer to collect, monitor, and evaluate program data to assess effectiveness, relevance, and quality of materials, content, and instruction.
- Market Awareness: Stay current with market trends and demands.
- Industry Knowledge: Remain informed on industry and facilitation best practices and learning technology trends, and their impact on the organization.
10. Learning Specialist Additional Details
- Training Design: Design, develop, and implement IT systems and occupational training that support the development of a growing workforce in alignment with company values, culture, and leadership behaviours.
- Training Standards: Implement and maintain tools, templates, processes, and standards that support the development of high-quality training for SMEs and trainers.
- Educator Support: Provide education, consultation, guidance, and support to the extended team of educators on curriculum design, materials development, and effective learning strategies, including teaching, facilitation, and simulation.
- Program Development: Develop, revise, and maintain existing educational programs as well as new programs, courses, and development training opportunities.
- Learning Evaluation: Establish evaluation plans using logic and Kirkpatrick models to ensure learning programs meet learning outcomes.
- Resource Management: Ensure the development and updating of resources to develop and maintain employee capabilities with changing procedures and processes.
- Project Delivery: Ensure deliverables are completed on time and on budget.
- Adaptability: Respond to the needs of a growing business by being open, curious, creative, and flexible.
11. Learning Specialist Essential Functions
- Academic Advising: Advise students on learning needs and appropriate learning strategies, and ensure appropriate accommodations and learning resources to foster academic success.
- Disability Assessment: Work with students with learning disabilities to assess needs, strengths, and weaknesses and identify ways to improve functioning and performance.
- Student Consultation: Conduct individual meetings with students to discuss diagnostic testing, learning styles, and academic needs.
- Student Empowerment: Partner with students to foster acceptance, understanding, and management of disability by maximizing the balance of strengths and weaknesses.
- Progress Documentation: Maintain accurate documentation on student progress and guide students to become self-advocates and self-aware.
- Success Strategies: Create strategies with students that promote academic success, address poor habits in time management, motivation, academic deficiencies, and goal setting, and help develop effective learning preferences.
- Learning Strategy Development: Guide students to develop learning strategies that support academic improvement.
- Case Management: Manage and provide a full range of services to address academic, personal, career, and social concerns related to disability.
- Workshop Facilitation: Facilitate self-advocacy workshops and conduct independent living assessments.
- Accommodation Determination: Determine individualized accommodations based on applicable assessment.
- Accommodation Planning: Recommend reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, therapeutic interventions, further testing, and referrals to appropriate university resources.
- Effectiveness Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness of accommodations and recommended strategies.
- Student Counseling: Provide counsel and possible referral to non-identified students who inquire about a perceived need.
- Interdepartmental Liaison: Serve as liaison between disability services and schools, including academic advisors and deans.
- Faculty Collaboration: Meet with academic staff to support understanding of a student’s specific disability profile.
Editorial Process and Content Quality
This content is developed by the Lamwork Editorial Team using structured analysis of real-world job data, skill requirements, and hiring patterns.
Research framework by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead.
Reviewed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor.
Learn more about our editorial standards.