Specialist, Learning & Development

Tasks

• Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, or consultation with managers, instructors, or customer representatives.

• Design, plan, organize, or direct orientation and training programs for employees or customers.

• Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills.

• Present information using a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.

• Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.

• Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness.

• Develop alternative training methods if expected improvements are not seen.

• Evaluate training materials prepared by instructors, such as outlines, text, or handouts.

• Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.

• Keep up with developments in area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles.

• Negotiate contracts with clients including desired training outcomes, fees, or expenses.

• Attend meetings or seminars to obtain information for use in training programs or to inform management of training program status.

• Monitor training costs and prepare budget reports to justify expenditures.

• Select and assign instructors to conduct training.

• Schedule classes based on availability of classrooms, equipment, or instructors.

• Supervise, evaluate, or refer instructors to skill development classes.

• Devise programs to develop executive potential among employees in lower-level positions.

• Coordinate recruitment and placement of training program participants.

• Develop or implement training programs related to efficiency, recycling, or other issues with environmental impacts.

• Refer trainees to employer relations representatives, to locations offering job placement assistance, or to appropriate social services agencies if warranted.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

• Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.