The educational and training requirements of Advanced Learning Technology (ALT) need to engage with curricula that reflect the varied requirements of the workplace and of society. Students have a range of interests and ambitions in ALT which the instructional process has to accommodate and support. With these considerations in mind the IEEE Technical Committee on Learning Technology established a Working Committee to develop specifications for new curricula for advanced learning technologies. In its response the Working Committee has adopted and developed a competency based perspective with regard to curricula and assessments to cover undergraduate, postgraduate and training levels. This article illustrates how these competences, in association with the curricula themes, are useful to educators and practitioners in adopting a broader multi-disciplinary approach and in developing greater skill and understanding when applying technology to improve education and training. It presents in details the activities and discussion involved in the specification of an associated competences framework.