If you’re considering specialized learning and development (L&D) staffing services, it’s usually an indicator that your team and budgets are stretched tight. According to the 2023 State of the Industry report published by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), while the number of learners in organizations is growing, the number of L&D staffing to support those learners is not keeping up with demand. Given this reality, many learning leaders find themselves looking for alternative strategies to keep up with their needs for capacity and expertise in L&D. Today, there are more outsourcing options than ever before — especially when it comes to temporary staffing. In large organizations, it’s not uncommon for human resources to have one or more talent firms already engaged with the company. The majority of these firms have a general focus — they can help with IT, customer service and accounting personnel, as well as learning experts. They are broadly focused and can meet a variety of different needs.

Another option, one that is particularly valuable within the field of L&D, is a specialized L&D staffing firm associated with a learning services provider. To work with such a vendor, you may need to build a case for why working with the specialist over the generalist will better meet the needs of the business. Here are some reasons why it could prove to be a smart option.

Looking Beyond the Job Description

While the generalist recruiting relationship may appear to offer greater convenience and scalability due to their size, specialty firms actually have more depth and provide greater value.

Because they are learning and development experts with more extensive knowledge in a broad range of industries, specialty firms do more than just take an order for a specific job title. They fill a consultative role as well and conduct a needs assessment to help identify the type of talent and skillsets that will be the best fit. They are also experts in matching candidates’ skills, experience and temperament with an organization’s staffing needs.

While the generalist recruitment firm primarily looks to see if the prospective talent has “experience” in a particular role, they tend not to have the expertise to assess that experience. On the other hand, L&D staffing providers associated with learning service providers are accustomed to working with the various tools and platforms in the L&D tech ecosystem as well as the skillset and proficiency levels that will be required to use that technology, so they are better equipped to assess skill-level fit.

Any staffing expert will argue that they can find the best match. However, given the specialization in L&D over the last decade, it’s not just about matching a title or role description. “Underlying the obvious need to recruit the right people is the need to realize the value of a key learning initiative or to accelerate development by finding the right expertise,” explains Anna Sargysan, AllenComm’s chief learning officer. “A good match isn’t based on keywords or tags. Rather than starting with an inventory of required skills, we do a deeper dive to identify not only what those skills are but also what they mean to the learner and workplace culture. We believe this is ultimately more beneficial than a traditional staffing intake or requisition.” A talent expert with firsthand experience as a learning leader and practitioner is simply better equipped to recruit and recommend the best match.

Leveraging Industry Expertise

Another advantage is that, when a team needs to grow, the eLearning development firm already has a funnel of additional talent ready to jump in. They are already filling the same positions for other clients and for their own organizations: learning designers, learner experience designers, eLearning developers, trainers, project managers, learning strategists, etc. Unlike the recruiting generalist, they aren’t starting from a general database: They are starting with a network of real relationships. This makes their solutions more scalable.

L&D staffing firms also tend to have experience in a variety of different industries and are more likely to be familiar with relevant certifications and compliances in a particular vertical. As members of the corporate learning community, they can be more agile with their networks and better tailor their activity to meet a client’s needs. “Providing L&D teams with staff personnel from a group of experienced professionals with knowledge directly relevant to their industry can be a game changer,” says Ron Zamir, AllenComm CEO. “With so many teams now understaffed and over-utilized, a specialty firm can provide domain expertise and a tailored approach to meet an organization’s needs and deliver transformational solutions.” It’s best to focus not on resumes but on long-term relationships.

Delivering Long-Term Value

From a cost standpoint, companies are likely to pay a similar amount whether they go with a specialized L&D staffing firm or a general recruiter. The difference is in what they get for their investment.

L&D specialty firms don’t stop providing services once a candidate is hired. They have the processes and resources in place to assist with onboarding new hires and scaffolding their success. What’s more, when concerns arise about a certain individual’s performance, they are more likely to be able to resolve those concerns (and save the time involved in replacing the talent). They are also better equipped to recognize when an issue with an employee or skill gap is serious enough to warrant a staffing change.

Making the Right Decision

Of course, the decision to go with a generalist or specialist will ultimately depend on the needs and objectives of the L&D team and the organization at large. However, with so much riding on finding the right talent, having a partner who looks at recruitment from a comprehensive, long-term perspective may ultimately be a smarter way to go. As true learning experts, specialty firms can offer value-added services and resources that general recruiters are simply not equipped to deliver, which could ultimately make a critical difference in a company’s long-term success.