Every industry needs employees who can learn new skills, but some industries rely on instructional design contractors far more than others. Highly regulated industries, organizations experiencing rapid growth, companies implementing new technology, and businesses with large, distributed workforces often need experienced instructional designers to create effective learning programs quickly.
Whether you’re wondering if your organization is a good candidate for contract instructional design support or you’re researching where instructional designers are most commonly hired, these ten industries consistently invest in instructional design consultants and contractors.
Industries Most Likely to Hire Instructional Design Contractors
While instructional design contractors work across every sector, some industries rely on them more frequently because of rapid change, regulatory requirements, workforce growth, or large-scale learning initiatives. The table below highlights common training needs within each industry and why organizations often choose contract instructional designers to supplement their internal learning teams.
Although these industries have very different products and services, they face many of the same learning and development challenges. Whether it’s onboarding thousands of new employees, implementing new technology, maintaining regulatory compliance, or launching new products, contract instructional designers provide the specialized expertise and flexibility organizations need to deliver high-quality learning programs without adding permanent headcount.
1. Healthcare
The healthcare industry requires continuous training for:
- Regulatory
- New technology and products
- EMR – Electronic Medical Records
- Patient Satisfaction
- HIPAA Training
- And more
Instructional design contractors help create engaging, scenario-based training programs that simulate real-world challenges, such as patient interactions or emergency procedures. Their expertise ensures compliance with regulations like HIPAA while delivering content that fits the schedules of busy healthcare professionals.
TrainingPros regularly provides skilled instructional designers to our clients in the healthcare industry.
2. Technology
The fast-paced tech industry relies on upskilling and reskilling employees to stay competitive. Instructional design contractors are skilled in designing interactive training modules for:
- Contact center associates
- Technology implementation
- New product launches
- Sales enablement
- Software upgrades
- And more.
Their ability to quickly adapt to cutting-edge tools and trends makes them invaluable for tech companies looking to design and roll out training programs efficiently.
TrainingPros regularly works with technology clients with great results. See some of our award-winning programs with our technology clients.
3. Retail
Retail organizations often face challenges with onboarding new hires and training for seasonal spikes. Instructional design contractors create engaging, easily digestible learning experiences for retail companies such as:
- Customer Service
- Sales
- Product Knowledge
- Orientation
- Supervisor Training
- Point of Sale (POS)
Mobile-friendly modules and gamified content help retail employees absorb training quickly and apply it on the job.
TrainingPros regularly works with retail companies to provide many types of training. See some of our award-winning projects:
4. Financial Services
In the highly regulated finance sector, instructional design contractors play a key role in designing training on:
- Regulatory updates
- Fraud prevention
- Cybersecurity
- Contact center associates
- Customer service
- Collections
- Sales
- Supervisor and leadership skills
Instructional designers can simplify complex topics while ensuring accuracy. Their ability to design interactive, engaging content helps financial institutions like banks, credit card companies, and wealth management meet their strict training requirements.
TrainingPros works with a wide variety of financial services companies. See descriptions of our award-winning projects:
5. Manufacturing
Manufacturing relies on effective training to ensure employee safety, productivity, and compliance with industry standards. Instructional design contractors create custom training programs like equipment operation guides, safety protocols, and workflow simulations. These materials are particularly useful for training employees in multiple facilities or global locations.
TrainingPros has provided instructional design consultants and eLearning developers to a variety of manufacturing clients with great success.
6. Consumer Goods
The consumer goods industry thrives on fast-paced innovation, requiring employees to stay updated on new products, customer service practices, and supply chain operations. Instructional design contractors help consumer goods companies deliver effective training for diverse needs, such as educating retail teams about product features or training warehouse staff on safety protocols.
These contractors also excel at developing scalable learning solutions for global rollouts, ensuring consistency across multiple locations. With their ability to design engaging, interactive content, they can create programs that boost employee confidence and performance, leading to higher sales and improved customer satisfaction.
Whether it’s onboarding seasonal staff or equipping sales teams with in-depth product knowledge, instructional design contractors provide consumer goods companies with the tools to stay competitive and agile.
See the descriptions below of our award-winning work:
7. Pharmaceuticals and Biotech
The pharmaceutical industry requires precise, compliant training programs to educate employees and healthcare providers on new drugs, research findings, and regulatory requirements. Instructional design contractors excel at developing engaging content for these complex topics, ensuring clarity and compliance while meeting tight deadlines for product rollouts.
TrainingPros has many clients in this industry and instructional designers that specialize in working with this type of highly regulated company.
8. Hospitality
With a diverse workforce often spread across global locations, the hospitality industry benefits from instructional design contractors who create culturally relevant, multilingual, globalized training solutions. Whether it’s customer service workshops, food safety protocols, or management training, instructional design contractors deliver consistent, branded training experiences that enhance employee performance.
We have been providing instructional designers, eLearning developers, facilitators, and virtual classroom producers to our clients in the hospitality industry for years.
9. Utilities
The utilities industry is ever evolving and has many training needs:
- Technical skills
- Safety training
- Customer service
- Sales
- Product knowledge
- Supervisory and leadership training
- Cybersecurity
Instructional design contractors can design interactive and immersive training programs. These innovative solutions help employees prepare for real-world scenarios. In addition, they can rapidly develop training for the changing product knowledge needs.
TrainingPros has been providing consultants to utilities companies for more than two decades. In addition, as of the date of this article, we are certified through the Supplier Clearinghouse as a diverse provider for utility companies that serve the state of California.
10. Oil and Gas
The oil and gas industry operates in high-stakes environments where safety, efficiency, and compliance are non-negotiable. Instructional design contractors play a critical role in this sector by developing training programs tailored to its unique challenges. From safety protocols and equipment handling to environmental compliance and emergency response, these professionals ensure employees are prepared for the complexities of the job.
TrainingPros serves many clients in the Oil and Gas industry by providing instructional design consultants, eLearning developers, LMS administrators, and other consulting resources.
11. Insurance
Insurance companies operate in a highly regulated industry where employees must stay current on changing products, underwriting guidelines, claims procedures, compliance requirements, and customer service best practices. Whether serving personal, commercial, health, or life insurance markets, insurers depend on effective learning programs to ensure employees provide accurate information, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and reduce organizational risk.
Contract instructional designers help insurance organizations develop onboarding programs, product training, compliance and regulatory courses, claims processing training, underwriting education, sales enablement, customer service training, and leadership development. They also support system implementations, digital transformation initiatives, and mergers or acquisitions that require large-scale employee training. By bringing in specialized instructional design expertise on a project basis, insurance companies can quickly scale learning initiatives while allowing their internal L&D teams to remain focused on strategic priorities.
What Do These Industries Have in Common?
While healthcare, manufacturing, technology, hospitality, and financial services may seem very different, they often face similar learning and development challenges. These are the situations where instructional design contractors provide the greatest value.
Organizations in these industries often experience:
- Frequent regulatory or compliance changes that require training to be updated quickly.
- Continuous employee onboarding because of growth, turnover, or seasonal hiring.
- Technology implementations that require employees to learn new systems, software, or processes.
- Product or service launches that demand timely training for employees, customers, or partners.
- Distributed or remote workforces that need consistent learning experiences across multiple locations.
- Large-scale business initiatives that temporarily exceed the capacity of internal learning teams.
- Tight deadlines that require experienced instructional designers who can contribute immediately.
- Specialized learning needs that call for expertise in areas such as eLearning development, curriculum design, virtual instructor-led training (VILT), compliance training, or performance consulting.
The common thread isn’t the industry itself, it’s the complexity and urgency of the learning challenge. When organizations need to move quickly, access specialized expertise, or scale learning initiatives without adding permanent headcount, instructional design contractors provide the flexibility and experience to keep projects on track and deliver measurable business results.
Working Successfully with Contract L&D Professionals
Why Instructional Design Contractors Are a
Game-Changer Across Industries
Regardless of the industry, instructional design contractors offer several distinct advantages:
Specialized Expertise
: With deep knowledge of instructional design principles and tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and Vyond, contractors bring cutting-edge skills to the table.Flexibility
: Contractors can adapt their approach to meet the unique challenges and goals of your organization, whether that’s onboarding, compliance training, or leadership development.Scalability
: Businesses can hire contractors for specific projects or scale up their involvement during peak training seasons.Cost-Effectiveness
: Hiring contractors eliminates the need for full-time staff, reducing overhead while providing access to high-quality talent.
Ready to Work With Us?
Does your L&D team have more projects than people?
Many organizations in this position turn to contract instructional designers to scale training without overloading internal teams. If you’re exploring options or comparing eLearning development companies, you should learn more about how organizations design and scale these solutions.
TrainingPros is a learning and development company that connects organizations with experienced instructional designers, eLearning developers, and performance consultants. We’ve been named a Top 20 Staffing Company by Training Industry and a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), recognition that reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored learning solutions.
To hear ongoing conversations with senior learning leaders, listen to our Learning Leader Spotlight podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
If your learning initiatives require additional support, whether for a single project or a large-scale rollout, our relationship managers can help you find the right expertise quickly and confidently.
When you have more projects than people™, let TrainingPros find the right consultant to start your project with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Industries That Hire Instructional Designers
Which industries hire instructional designers most often?
Healthcare, technology, financial services, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, utilities, government, and consumer products all regularly hire instructional design contractors.
Why do regulated industries hire instructional design contractors?
Regulated industries frequently update compliance training to meet changing laws, standards, and certifications. Contractors provide specialized expertise without increasing permanent staffing.
Can instructional design contractors work in highly technical industries?
Yes. Many experienced instructional designers specialize in industries such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, utilities, and technology. They collaborate with subject matter experts to translate complex information into effective learning experiences.
How long do instructional design contractors typically stay on a project?
Projects commonly last anywhere from a few weeks to more than a year depending on scope, although many organizations also use contractors for ongoing overflow support.
