Learning mentor to academic advisor
A learning mentor already meets 44% of what the academic advisor role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.5/ 100
1 How much of what an academic advisor is expected to do is already part of a learning mentor’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 academic advisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An academic advisor role treats 6 of its required skills as things a learning mentor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- construct individual learning plans
- counsel students
- counselling methods
- education law
- encourage students to acknowledge their achievements
- listen actively
What stands in the way is 8 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. An academic advisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a learning mentor 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 academic advisor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 assessment processes required
- still to learn curriculum objectives required
- still to learn curriculum standards required
- still to learn advise on learning methods required
- still to learn give constructive feedback required
- optional, not held provide information on education financing optional
- optional, not held promote education programmes optional
- optional, not held provide career counselling optional
- still to learn provide information on school services required
- still to learn provide information on study programmes required
- optional, not held tackle issues that block academic progress optional
- still to learn monitor educational developments required
- optional, not held analyse education system optional
- optional, not held university procedures optional
- optional, not held education administration optional
- optional, not held labour market optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an academic advisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on learning methods practise this
- 02 assessment processes study this
- 03 curriculum objectives 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 construct individual learning plans skill
- already held counsel students skill
- already held counselling methods knowledge
- already held education law knowledge
- already held encourage students to acknowledge their achievements skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held action research knowledge
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held consult student's support system skill
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held identify education needs skill
- already held learning difficulties knowledge
- already held learning needs analysis knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held organise job search workshops optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held provide information on education financing optional
- optional, not held university procedures optional
- optional, not held analyse education system optional
- optional, not held education administration optional
- optional, not held labour market optional
- optional, not held organise job search workshops optional
- optional, not held promote education programmes optional
- optional, not held provide career counselling optional
- optional, not held tackle issues that block academic progress optional
25 held skills the academic advisor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt teaching to student's capabilities skill
- not needed by the target role apply person-centred care skill
- not needed by the target role assist students in their learning skill
- not needed by the target role assist students with their enrolment skill
- not needed by the target role behavioural disorders knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with youth skill
- not needed by the target role communication disorders knowledge
- not needed by the target role developmental psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role guarantee students' safety skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational staff skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational support staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage resources for educational purposes skill
- not needed by the target role monitor student's behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role organise projects to fill education needs skill
- not needed by the target role oversee extra-curricular activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform playground surveillance skill
- not needed by the target role primary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote the safeguarding of young people skill
- not needed by the target role provide teacher support skill
- not needed by the target role school psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role secondary school procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role show consideration for student's situation skill
- not needed by the target role social development knowledge
- not needed by the target role support children's wellbeing skill
- not needed by the target role support the positiveness of youths skill
6 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 assessment processes required
- still to learn curriculum objectives required
- still to learn curriculum standards required
- optional, not held university procedures optional
- optional, not held education administration optional
- optional, not held labour market optional
Common questions about this move
Can a learning mentor become an academic advisor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A learning mentor already covers 44% of what an academic advisor is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 6 of which the academic advisor role treats as required.
What skills does a learning mentor need to become an academic advisor?
8 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by education. The single most important is advise on learning methods.
How hard is the move from learning mentor to academic advisor?
Its learning distance is 53.5 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.