UK

United Kingdom · Learning and Development · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Associate Performance Support Administrator

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

  • Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toPerformance Support Administrator
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as Learning Systems Assistant · L&D Coordinator · Training Support Specialist

Built on an analysis of 43,079 real UK job descriptions · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Start with a free Future Fluency check, tuned to Associate Performance Support Administrator

Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this role rather than a generic one. About five minutes, and no card.

Start the check, free

1What this role really is

You'll be the first point of contact for our colleagues when they hit a snag with our learning platforms. Think of yourself as the friendly face of our learning tech, helping everyone from new hires to senior leaders get the most out of our courses and tools. It's about making sure learning runs smoothly for everyone, every day.

2What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

LMS/LXP (e.g., Cornerstone OnDemand, Workday Learning)Intermediate

Managing user accounts, publishing courses, running standard reports, troubleshooting Tier 1 user issues within the platform.

Microsoft ExcelIntermediate

Cleaning exported CSV data, using VLOOKUPs to match data, creating simple PivotTables for basic reporting.

Ticketing/PM Tools (e.g., Jira Service Desk, Asana)Intermediate

Managing your personal queue of support tickets, documenting solutions, tracking the status of content uploads or small tasks.

Authoring Tools (e.g., Articulate Rise/Storyline)Basic

Uploading and testing SCORM/xAPI packages from designers, identifying obvious publishing errors (e.g., course not launching).

Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) (e.g., WalkMe, Whatfix)Basic

Launching pre-built guides for users, monitoring basic analytics on whether guides are being completed.

HRIS (e.g., Workday HCM, SAP SuccessFactors)Basic

Understanding how user data flows from HR into the LMS, manually correcting user profile discrepancies if the feed goes wrong.

3What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing inWhere you are nowThe step above
User Account Management (e.g., password reset, profile update)Execute based on documented procedures. Escalate if the issue is complex (e.g., account locked due to system error, not user mistake).Independently resolve most issues. Decide when to involve IT for deeper technical problems or HR for sensitive data changes.Design and implement automated user management workflows. Define data governance rules for user profiles. Approve exceptions to standard procedures.
Course Publishing & Content UpdatesUpload and publish content following strict checklists. Flag any content that doesn't meet technical specifications or naming conventions to your manager.Take ownership of the end-to-end publishing process. Advise content designers on best practices for SCORM/xAPI packaging. Troubleshoot minor content display issues.Define and enforce content publishing standards. Lead UAT for major content launches. Make recommendations for new content types or platforms.
Support Ticket PrioritisationFollow established guidelines for prioritising tickets (e.g., 'all login issues are high priority'). Escalate any critical issues (e.g., system outage) immediately.Independently prioritise your own ticket queue. Identify and flag recurring issues that might need a broader solution.Analyse ticket trends to identify root causes. Propose system changes or knowledge base articles to reduce ticket volume. Define team-wide SLA targets.
Reporting RequestsRun pre-defined reports from the LMS. Export data and perform basic clean-up in Excel. Escalate requests for custom reports.Build basic custom reports and dashboards using tools like Power BI or Tableau. Interpret data for common L&D metrics.Design complex learning analytics dashboards. Integrate learning data with other business systems. Present insights to L&D leadership.

4How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, honestly: the hard targets, how often each one is actually looked at, and the quiet human signals that never make it onto a dashboard.

Tier 1 Ticket Resolution Time
How quickly you close basic support tickets (e.g., password resets, course access issues).
Target · 85% of tickets resolved within 4 business hours

If 100 tickets come in, you'd aim to sort 85 of them within half a day. We'll check the average time from when a ticket lands to when you mark it as done.

User Data Entry Accuracy
The precision of manual user account updates or enrolments you handle.
Target · 99% accuracy rate

Out of 100 new user profiles you set up or update, only one or fewer should have a mistake (wrong email, incorrect department). We'll do spot checks.

Course Publishing Turnaround
The time it takes to get a new course live on the LMS once you've received all the final, approved content.
Target · 95% published within 24 hours

If a content designer gives you a finished SCORM package on Monday morning, it should be live for learners by Tuesday morning, unless there's a technical glitch you've flagged.

Learner Satisfaction with Support
How happy our colleagues are with the help they get from you.
  • We'll look at feedback from our post-support surveys (the 'how did we do?' emails). We'll also listen to calls or read ticket responses to see if you're clear, patient, and helpful. The goal is for people to feel heard and helped, not rushed or confused.
Adherence to L&D Processes
How well you follow our established checklists and procedures for tasks like course uploads or user management.
  • Your manager will regularly review your work, checking that you've completed all steps in our internal guides, used the right naming conventions, and documented everything properly. It's about consistency and making sure we don't miss anything important.
Proactive Problem Spotting
Your ability to notice patterns in support queries or system behaviour and flag them up, rather than just fixing individual issues.
  • We'll see if you bring ideas to your manager like, 'I've had three people ask about X this week
  • maybe we need an FAQ?' or 'I noticed the HRIS feed seems to be missing data for new starters from department Y.' It shows you're thinking beyond the immediate fix.

5Would you like it

The honest version. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Helping People Succeed

You'll get a real buzz from resolving a colleague's login issue or guiding them to the right course, knowing you've removed a barrier to their learning. Seeing positive feedback on your support tickets will be genuinely rewarding.

Getting an email back saying, 'Thanks so much, that was so clear and helpful!' after you've walked someone through a tricky process.

Structured & Organised Work

You'll enjoy the routine of managing support tickets, following clear processes for content uploads, and keeping user data tidy. A well-organised system and a clear to-do list will make you feel productive and in control.

Successfully clearing your support queue by the end of the day, knowing every issue has been addressed or escalated properly.

Learning New Systems & Tech

You'll be keen to get under the bonnet of our LMS, understanding its features and quirks. You'll enjoy the challenge of figuring out why something isn't working and learning how to fix it, becoming a real expert in the tools we use.

Discovering a new feature in the LMS that makes a common task quicker, and then sharing that with your manager.

What frustrates people
  • Being the default 'IT Helpdesk' for L&D, getting blamed for slow networks or forgotten passwords.
  • Inheriting messy, inconsistent data or 'zombie' courses from years ago that no one wants to delete.
  • Explaining the same basic technical issue (e.g., 'clear your cache') multiple times a day.
  • Manually doing tasks that feel like they *should* be automated, but aren't (yet).
  • Chasing colleagues for information or approvals to get content live on time.
What this role does not give you
  • High-level strategic decision-making – that comes later.
  • A constant stream of brand-new, never-done-before projects every week.
  • Complete freedom to ignore established processes or naming conventions.
  • An escape from dealing with frustrated users; it's part of the job, unfortunately.

6Who you work with

This role directly impacts the efficiency and effectiveness of our entire learning ecosystem. Your work ensures that employees can access and complete their training, which is vital for compliance, skill development, and overall productivity. A smooth learning experience means less frustration and more engagement across the company.

Inside the business
  • All employees (our learners)
  • L&D Content Designers
  • L&D Programme Managers
  • IT Helpdesk (for system integrations)
  • HR Operations

7What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Strong general computer literacy – you should be comfortable navigating different software, using email, and basic office applications.
  • Some experience in a customer service or administrative support role (even retail or hospitality counts!) where you've had to help people solve problems.
  • A genuine willingness to learn new technology and processes, even when they seem a bit fiddly at first.
  • The ability to work effectively in a team, asking for help when you need it and offering it when you can.

8What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced LMS Configuration

As you gain experience, you'll move beyond basic user management to understanding how to set up more complex groups, learning paths, and automation rules within the LMS. This lets you do more without needing a senior colleague.

Dynamic Audience Rules · Learning Path Creation · Automated Notifications · System Integrations (Basic)

  • This week: Ask your manager to show you how a dynamic audience rule is set up for a common training programme.
  • This month: Spend some time exploring the 'admin' sections of the LMS (if you have permissions) to see what options are available.
  • Month 2: Shadow a senior colleague when they're configuring a new learning path or troubleshooting an integration issue.
  • Month 3: Propose a small automation rule that could save time on a repetitive task you currently do manually.

Quick win: Offer to take notes during a meeting where a senior colleague is discussing LMS configuration; you'll learn a lot just by listening.

9Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Online courses on customer service best practices or technical troubleshooting.
  • Joining L&D or learning technology communities (e.g., LinkedIn groups, local meetups) to learn from others.
  • Attending internal workshops on our specific learning platforms or HR systems.
  • Reading industry blogs or articles about learning technology trends.

10How the AI economy is changing work like this

Before we ask anything of you, here's what we can already say about AI and work of this kind:

The new skill this role is being asked for: Basic Prompt Engineering for Support

AI tools are getting better at helping with customer support. Learning how to ask AI the right questions will make you much faster at drafting responses, summarising issues, and finding solutions.

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

Your PlanIllustration

Built for Associate Performance Support Administrator

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Provide learning opportunities for colleaguesPearson EDI · covers 3 of 10 standardsLevel 3
  2. The Learning Support Role: Learning and AssessmentAIM Qualifications · covers 2 of 10 standardsLevel 2
  3. Provide scientific or technical support for learning activitiesPearson Education Ltd · covers 2 of 10 standardsLevel 2
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Basic Prompt Engineering for Support

AI tools are getting better at helping with customer support. Learning how to ask AI the right questions will make you much faster at drafting responses, summarising issues, and finding solutions.

  • Clear & Concise Prompting
  • Contextual Information
  • Output Review & Refinement
  • Ethical AI Use

Introduction to Learning Experience Design (LXD)

Even in a support role, understanding *why* content is designed a certain way helps you troubleshoot better and suggest minor improvements. It's about thinking like the learner, not just the system.

  • Learner Journey Mapping
  • Usability Principles
  • Feedback Loops
  • Accessibility Basics

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Learning Technology Standards (SCORM/xAPI)
  • Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation (Level 1)
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Management
  • Data Governance & Privacy (Basic PII)
  • Learning Analytics & Reporting (Basic)
  • Workflow Automation (Following Rules)

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Office Administrator / Assistant

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Organisation, attention to detail, handling multiple tasks, basic IT literacy, communicating with colleagues.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're the go-to person for sorting out office tech glitches.
    • You enjoy creating and following clear processes for administrative tasks.
    • You get satisfaction from helping colleagues with their day-to-day problems.
  2. 2

    Customer Service Representative / Helpdesk Support

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Problem-solving under pressure, patient communication, de-escalation, documenting issues, using ticketing systems.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're calm and logical when dealing with frustrated customers.
    • You enjoy the challenge of diagnosing and fixing technical problems.
    • You're excellent at explaining complex things in simple terms.
  3. 3

    IT Support Technician (Tier 1)

    0-1 year

    Skills to master

    • Technical troubleshooting, system diagnostics, network basics, user account management, IT security awareness.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're comfortable with IT systems and enjoy figuring out how they work.
    • You have a knack for following technical procedures and checklists.
    • You're interested in applying your technical skills specifically to learning platforms.

11Where this role leads

The long view:This Associate role is just the beginning of what could be a really interesting and impactful career in Learning & Development. We're here to help you discover what you're passionate about and support you every step of the way. Your growth is our growth.

Pay & demand

Pay and demand for this role will appear here, each figure traced to a named authoritative source (e.g. the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, under the Open Government Licence). We don’t show numbers we can’t attribute.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Associate Performance Support Administrator is actually changing. In about two minutes, the free confidence check asks where you stand on each of the ten. That's the whole check, and it's what makes the plan yours rather than generic.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

12The team that's yours

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

Zavmo is a hyper-personalised AI learning platform. Twelve virtual tutors, each with a different way of teaching, and one orchestration agent that picks the right one for the moment. So every single lesson is shaped around you, your role, and the way you learn. Not a course everyone sits through. A conversation built for you, and no one else.

…and nine more, matched to you after your first chat. Meet all twelve

Start free and meet yours

13What it feels like

A conversation, not a course

Because your tutor knows your role, your projects and your last session, learning sounds like this. And it's different for every single person:

Provide learning opportunities for colleaguesLevel 3

Applied to your work in Associate Performance Support Administrator

By completing this unit, learners will be able to encourage learning and development in colleagues, help them identify learning needs and styles, and assist in planning, implementing, and reviewing learning opportunities.

How the thinking builds
  1. Remember
  2. Understand
  3. Apply
  4. Analyse
  5. Evaluate
  6. Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

One to one, not one to many

No two people run this the same way

A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.

  1. Your actual work Every lesson is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
  2. What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
  3. The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
  4. How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
  5. Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.

See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.

DemonstrateIllustration

Evidenced on your work in Associate Performance Support Administrator

You do not finish by watching something. You finish by showing it on the work you already do, against the measures this job is judged on.

  • Tier 1 Ticket Resolution TimeHow quickly you close basic support tickets (e.g., password resets, course access issues).If 100 tickets come in, you'd aim to sort 85 of them within half a day. We'll check the average time from when a ticket lands to when you mark it as done.85% of tickets resolved within 4 business hours
  • User Data Entry AccuracyThe precision of manual user account updates or enrolments you handle.Out of 100 new user profiles you set up or update, only one or fewer should have a mistake (wrong email, incorrect department). We'll do spot checks.99% accuracy rate
  • Course Publishing TurnaroundThe time it takes to get a new course live on the LMS once you've received all the final, approved content.If a content designer gives you a finished SCORM package on Monday morning, it should be live for learners by Tuesday morning, unless there's a technical glitch you've flagged.95% published within 24 hours
These are this job's own measures, with its own targets. Nothing is marked evidenced, because nobody has started this yet. Yours would fill in from the work you bring.

Your passport

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

Every credit you earn and every fluency you build adds up: evidence where it counts, carried with you. Zavmo keeps the map: where you are, where you're heading, and the next step, at your pace, around your life. From Associate Performance Support Administrator to Performance Support Administrator (Level 2), and whatever you decide comes after.

Level 2 · in progressAI Fluency→ Performance Support Administrator (Level 2)→ your design
Where this takes you

This Associate role is just the beginning of what could be a really interesting and impactful career in Learning & Development. We're here to help you discover what you're passionate about and support you every step of the way. Your growth is our growth.

See Your Progress GrowIllustration
Associate Performance Support Administrator
  • Learning Technology Standards (SCORM/xAPI)
  • Kirkpatrick Model of Evaluation (Level 1)
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Management
  • Data Governance & Privacy (Basic PII)
  • Learning Analytics & Reporting (Basic)
  • Workflow Automation (Following Rules)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

14The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Associate Performance Support Administrator is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Performance Support Administrator (Level 2)

    2-3 years

    This is the natural next step, where you'll take on more ownership and independence. You'll move from following instructions to managing entire processes.

    • Advanced LMS Features: Configuring complex user groups, learning paths, and automation rules.
    • Custom Reporting: Building basic dashboards in Power BI or Tableau.
    • Troubleshooting Integrations: Diagnosing issues between the LMS and other systems (e.g., HRIS feeds).
    • Content Debugging: Identifying why a SCORM package isn't tracking correctly.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a lot of admin work can be a bit of a slog. But what if you could offload some of the repetitive stuff to clever tech? That's where AI comes in. It's not about replacing you; it's about giving you superpowers.

Imagine having a digital assistant that handles the mundane, freeing you up to focus on the more interesting problem-solving and helping colleagues with trickier issues. We're already seeing how AI can transform how we manage learning platforms, and as an Associate, you'll be at the forefront of using these tools to make your job easier and more impactful.

Intelligent Ticket Triage & Draft Responses

AI can scan incoming support emails, instantly figure out if it's a password reset or a course access problem, and even draft a polite, helpful response with a link to the right FAQ. You'll just need to quickly review and send. Think of the time saved on those common, repetitive queries!

Automated User Communications

Need to send out a quick email about a system update or a new course launch? AI can whip up a clear, friendly draft in seconds. Just give it a few bullet points, and it'll handle the tone and structure, leaving you to fine-tune it. No more staring at a blank screen trying to figure out how to phrase things.

Smart Content Curation (Basic)

When you're looking for existing knowledge base articles or FAQs to link to in a support response, AI can quickly search and suggest the most relevant ones. It helps you find the right information faster, ensuring you're always giving colleagues the best advice.

Basic Report Summarisation

After you've pulled a completion report from the LMS, AI can quickly summarise the key findings or highlight any unusual trends. It won't do the deep analysis, but it'll give you a head start on understanding what the numbers are telling you, saving you time on initial review.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become an Associate Performance Support Administrator?

Common routes in include Office Administrator / Assistant (1-2 years), Customer Service Representative / Helpdesk Support (1-2 years) and IT Support Technician (Tier 1) (0-1 year). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can an Associate Performance Support Administrator progress to?

This role can lead on to Performance Support Administrator (Level 2) (2-3 years), depending on the skills you build.

What level is an Associate Performance Support Administrator in the UK?

This role aligns to RQF Level 2 on the UK framework, a guide to the depth of qualification it maps to, not a hard entry bar.

What new skills matter most for an Associate Performance Support Administrator?

Increasingly, Basic Prompt Engineering for Support and Introduction to Learning Experience Design (LXD). These are the areas where the higher-paid, future-proof work is heading.

The honest bit

You’ve started things before

Most of them were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.

There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.

And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.

What it costs

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

A single career-coaching hour costs more than a month of this, and it ends when the hour does. Zavmo doesn't. It's £70 a month, about £2.30 a day, for a companion that knows an Associate Performance Support Administrator, works on the job you actually do, and keeps going at your pace rather than a timetable's.

  • Searching and planning stay free. You only pay when you start learning.
  • Your credits are yours. Regulated, and they don't vanish when a subscription ends.
  • Cancel any time and billing stops. No notice period, no minimum term.

Your path, personalised

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.

This route runs to 10 national skill standards. That is a real journey.

Zavmo shapes a learning experience as unique as you are. It fits how you learn, your pace and the work you already do. Every step stays benchmarked to recognised national standards. That’s the plan for becoming an Associate Performance Support Administrator: personal to you, and it still counts. The first steps are free.

Independent research finds well-designed intelligent tutoring performs nearly as well as one-to-one human tutoring: VanLehn (2011), Educational Psychologist.

A private tutor in the UK averages £35–40 an hour . Zavmo is £70/month.

A real plan on learn.zavmo.ai: Ofqual-regulated units, credits, and a three-month run at your own pace.
Start free No commitment. See your first steps free.

15Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

Other roles in Learning and Development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills you'll gain here – especially in learning technology, data management, and user support – are highly transferable. You could move into broader IT support roles, HR systems administration, or specialise in learning technology within other industries (e.g., education, healthcare). The demand for people who understand how to make digital learning work is only growing.

Not sure this is the right direction?

Work out what you actually want from work first, then come back and see which roles fit it. Takes about ten minutes.

This role profile is © 2026Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Build my plan, free Here's the first ten minutes: a 2-minute confidence check → your personalised roadmap → meet the tutors matched to you. No card, cancel any time. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.