MLI Approved PD Specialist
Strengthen your ability to support educators, trainers, leaders, and organizations through effective professional development, coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, and continuous improvement.
Expand Your Impact as a Professional Development Specialist
The MLI Approved Professional Development Specialist Program is designed for professionals who support the learning, growth, and performance of educators, trainers, coaches, leaders, and organizations.
This six-hour online training program provides participants with practical strategies, tools, and resources for supporting adult learners through professional development, coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, and continuous improvement.
Professional Development Specialists do more than deliver training. They identify professional learning needs, facilitate meaningful learning experiences, provide individualized support, guide reflective practice, and help professionals apply new knowledge in real-world settings.
Through this credential, participants will strengthen the professional skills needed to plan, deliver, evaluate, and support high-quality professional development services.
This credential is ideal for professionals seeking to expand beyond traditional training delivery into coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, workforce development, and organizational improvement.
What You Will Learn
Participants will develop the knowledge, strategies, and professional tools needed to support adult learners and promote meaningful improvements in professional practice.
- Identify professional learning and performance needs
- Apply adult learning principles to professional development
- Develop individualized professional growth plans
- Facilitate reflective conversations with adult learners
- Provide effective coaching and mentoring support
- Deliver responsive technical assistance
- Establish professional relationships and boundaries
- Document professional development services and outcomes
- Evaluate participant progress and program effectiveness
- Create a personal PD Specialist professional growth plan
Five Areas of Professional Practice
Who Should Enroll?
This credential is designed for professionals who provide or plan to provide professional learning, coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, leadership development, or organizational support.
Five Areas of Professional Practice
The curriculum combines professional knowledge, practical application, reflection, planning tools, and competency-based assignments.
The Role of the Professional Development Specialist
- Defining professional development and adult learning
- Understanding the PD Specialist role
- Trainer, coach, mentor, and consultant distinctions
- Ethics, professionalism, and confidentiality
Assessing Professional Learning Needs
- Conducting individual and organizational needs assessments
- Identifying knowledge, skill, and performance gaps
- Using observations, interviews, surveys, and data
- Setting professional learning priorities
Coaching, Mentoring, and Technical Assistance
- Establishing trusting professional relationships
- Using reflective questioning techniques
- Providing constructive feedback
- Supporting goal setting and accountability
Professional Development Planning and Implementation
- Developing individualized professional growth plans
- Selecting appropriate support strategies
- Connecting training to workplace application
- Documenting services, progress, and outcomes
Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
- Monitoring professional growth and implementation
- Evaluating professional development effectiveness
- Using feedback and data for continuous improvement
- Developing a personal PD Specialist growth plan
Program Requirements and Credential Benefits
Credential Requirements
- Complete all 6 hours of online training
- Complete all required learning modules
- Complete module knowledge checks
- Participate in reflection and application activities
- Complete a professional needs assessment
- Develop an individualized professional growth plan
- Submit required PD Specialist assignments
- Complete the final program evaluation
Credential Benefits
- MLI Approved PD Specialist certificate
- Professional digital credential badge
- PD Specialist workbook and resource toolkit
- Reusable coaching and mentoring templates
- Technical assistance planning resources
- Increased professional credibility
- Eligibility for advanced MLI pathways
Continue Building Your Professional Expertise
The MLI Approved Professional Development Specialist credential is part of a progressive pathway designed to prepare professionals to train, coach, mentor, support, and lead others.
MLI Certified Trainer
Build foundational skills in adult learning, training design, facilitation, engagement, and evaluation.
MLI Approved PD Specialist
Expand your practice through coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, professional growth planning, and evaluation.
MLI Master PD Specialist
Advance into organizational leadership, professional learning systems, quality improvement, and workforce development.
Become an MLI Approved Professional Development Specialist
Strengthen your ability to develop professionals, support organizational growth, and create meaningful improvements in professional practice.
Enroll Now for $299