Academic advisor to learning mentor
An academic advisor already meets 36% of what the learning mentor role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.3/ 100
1 How much of what a learning mentor is expected to do is already part of an academic advisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the learning mentor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A learning mentor role treats 6 of its required skills as things an academic advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult student's support system
- counsel students
- encourage students to acknowledge their achievements
- learning difficulties
- learning needs analysis
- listen actively
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A learning mentor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an academic advisor background worth leading with.
- already held construct individual learning plans management skills
- already held counsel students communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held action research education
- already held learning needs analysis education
- already held identify education needs management skills
- already held education law business, administration and law
All 14 carried skills, including the 6 the learning mentor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt teaching to student's capabilities required
- still to learn assist students in their learning required
- still to learn communicate with youth required
- still to learn liaise with educational staff required
- still to learn liaise with educational support staff required
- still to learn show consideration for student's situation required
- optional, not held promote the safeguarding of young people optional
- optional, not held provide teacher support optional
- optional, not held support the positiveness of youths optional
- still to learn monitor student's behaviour required
- still to learn oversee extra-curricular activities required
- optional, not held assist students with their enrolment optional
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held organise projects to fill education needs optional
- still to learn behavioural disorders required
- still to learn communication disorders required
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- still to learn support children's wellbeing required
- optional, not held apply person-centred care optional
- optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
- optional, not held perform playground surveillance optional
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a learning mentor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt teaching to student's capabilities practise this
- 02 assist students in their learning practise this
- 03 behavioural disorders study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held consult student's support system skill
- already held counsel students skill
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- already held learning difficulties knowledge
- already held learning needs analysis knowledge
- already held listen actively skill
- already held action research knowledge
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held construct individual learning plans skill
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held counselling methods knowledge
- already held education law knowledge
- already held identify education needs skill
- already held psychology knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held social development optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply person-centred care optional
- optional, not held assist students with their enrolment optional
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held social development optional
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held guarantee students' safety optional
- optional, not held organise projects to fill education needs optional
- optional, not held perform playground surveillance optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
- optional, not held promote the safeguarding of young people optional
- optional, not held provide teacher support optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
- optional, not held support the positiveness of youths optional
17 held skills the learning mentor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on learning methods skill
- not needed by the target role analyse education system skill
- not needed by the target role assessment processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role curriculum objectives knowledge
- not needed by the target role curriculum standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role education administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role give constructive feedback skill
- not needed by the target role labour market knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor educational developments skill
- not needed by the target role organise job search workshops skill
- not needed by the target role promote education programmes skill
- not needed by the target role provide career counselling skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on education financing skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on school services skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on study programmes skill
- not needed by the target role tackle issues that block academic progress skill
- not needed by the target role university procedures knowledge
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn behavioural disorders required
- still to learn communication disorders required
- optional, not held social development optional
- optional, not held developmental psychology optional
- optional, not held primary school procedures optional
- optional, not held school psychology optional
- optional, not held secondary school procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can an academic advisor become a learning mentor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An academic advisor already covers 36% of what a learning mentor is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 6 of which the learning mentor role treats as required.
What skills does an academic advisor need to become a learning mentor?
11 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt teaching to student's capabilities.
How hard is the move from academic advisor to learning mentor?
Its learning distance is 63.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.