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Training and Development Specialists

Summary

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Quick Facts: Training and Development Specialists
2023 Median Pay $64,340 per year
$30.94 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation Less than 5 years
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2023 420,100
Job Outlook, 2023-33 12% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2023-33 48,500

What Training and Development Specialists Do

Training and development specialists plan and administer programs that improve the skills and knowledge of their employees.

Work Environment

Training and development specialists work in nearly every industry. They spend much of their time working with people, giving presentations, and leading training activities.

How to Become a Training and Development Specialist

In addition to a bachelor’s degree, training and development specialists also need work experience and strong communication skills.

Pay

The median annual wage for training and development specialists was $64,340 in May 2023.

Job Outlook

Employment of training and development specialists is projected to grow 12 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 42,200 openings for training and development specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

State & Area Data

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for training and development specialists.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of training and development specialists with similar occupations.

More Information, Including Links to O*NET

Learn more about training and development specialists by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

What Training and Development Specialists Do About this section

training and development specialists image
Training and development specialists guide employees through exercises.

Training and development specialists plan and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.

Duties

Training and development specialists typically do the following:

  • Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, or consultations with managers or instructors
  • Design and create training manuals, online learning modules, and course materials
  • Review training materials from multiple sources and choose appropriate materials
  • Deliver training to employees using a variety of instructional techniques
  • Assist in evaluating training programs
  • Perform administrative tasks such as monitoring costs, scheduling classes, setting up systems and equipment, and coordinating enrollment

Training and development specialists help create, plan, and run training programs for businesses and organizations. To do this, they must first assess the needs of an organization. They then develop custom training programs that may take place online, in classrooms, or in training facilities.

Training and development specialists organize or run training sessions using lectures, team exercises and other formats. Training also may be in the form of a video, a self-guided instructional manual, or an online application. Training may be collaborative, allowing employees to connect informally with colleagues, experts, and mentors.

Work Environment About this section

training and development specialists image
They spend much of their time working with people, giving presentations, and leading training activities.

Training and development specialists held about 420,100 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of training and development specialists were as follows:

Healthcare and social assistance 11%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 11
Educational services; state, local, and private 11
Finance and insurance 9
Administrative and support services 7

Training and development specialists spend much of their time working with people, giving presentations, and leading training activities. They also may need to travel to training sites.

Work Schedules

Most training and development specialists work full time during regular business hours.

How to Become a Training and Development Specialist About this section

training and development specialists image
Training and development specialists must have strong instructional skills to meet the learning needs of a particular group.

Training and development specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree and related work experience. However, candidates who do not have a bachelor’s degree sometimes qualify for jobs if they have relevant experience.

Education

Training and development specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree, often in a business field such as organizational development or human resources. Other fields of degree include education, social science, psychology, and communications.

Candidates who do not have a bachelor’s degree sometimes qualify for jobs if they have experience developing and delivering training. The experience may need to be extensive and specific to the employer’s industry.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Related work experience is important for most training and development specialists. Positions may require work experience in areas such as staff development or instructional design or in related occupations, such as human resources specialists or teachers.

Employers also may prefer to hire candidates who have work experience in a relevant industry or with virtual learning, mobile training, and technology-based tools. However, employers may hire candidates who have a master’s degree instead of work experience.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Although not usually required, certification shows professional expertise and credibility. However, some employers prefer to hire certified candidates, and some positions require certification. The Association for Talent Development (ATD) and International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) are among the organizations that offer certification programs in training and development.

Advancement

Training and development specialists may advance to training and development manager or human resources manager positions. Workers typically need several years of experience to advance.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Training and development specialists must evaluate training programs, methods, and materials and choose those that best fit each situation.

Collaboration skills. Specialists need strong interpersonal skills because delivering training programs requires coordinating with instructors, subject-matter experts, and trainees. Specialists accomplish much of their work through teams.

Communication skills. Training and development specialists must convey information clearly and facilitate learning to diverse audiences.

Creativity. Specialists should be resourceful when developing training materials. They may need to think of and implement new approaches when considering training methods.

Instructional skills. Training and development specialists deliver employee training programs. They must have strong training skills to meet the learning needs of a particular group.

Pay About this section

Training and Development Specialists

Median annual wages, May 2023

Business operations specialists

$78,500

Training and development specialists

$64,340

Total, all occupations

$48,060

 

The median annual wage for training and development specialists was $64,340 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,050, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $116,140.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for training and development specialists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Professional, scientific, and technical services $79,150
Finance and insurance 74,260
Educational services; state, local, and private 72,520
Healthcare and social assistance 61,920
Administrative and support services 53,470

Most training and development specialists work full time during regular business hours.

Job Outlook About this section

Training and Development Specialists

Percent change in employment, projected 2023-33

Training and development specialists

12%

Business operations specialists

7%

Total, all occupations

4%

 

Employment of training and development specialists is projected to grow 12 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 42,200 openings for training and development specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Employees in many occupations are required to take training and development courses throughout their careers, creating demand for the specialists who lead these activities.

As technology continues to advance, workers may need to learn new skillsets to use these technologies in their jobs. Continuous training and upskilling will increase the demand for training and development specialists as the skills relevant to many occupations evolve.

In addition, more of these specialists are expected to be needed to develop employee training related to complying with internal policies and regulatory requirements.

Employment projections data for training and development specialists, 2023-33
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2023 Projected Employment, 2033 Change, 2023-33 Employment by Industry
Percent Numeric

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

Training and development specialists

13-1151 420,100 468,600 12 48,500 Get data

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of training and development specialists.

Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION Help on Entry-Level Education 2023 MEDIAN PAY Help on Median Pay
Career and technical education teachers Career and Technical Education Teachers

Career and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts.

Bachelor's degree $63,580
Compensation and benefits managers Compensation and Benefits Managers

Compensation and benefits managers plan, develop, and oversee programs to pay employees.

Bachelor's degree $136,380
compensation benefits and job analysis specialists image Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists oversee wage and nonwage programs that an organization provides to its employees in return for their work. They also evaluate position descriptions to determine details such as classification and salary.

Bachelor's degree $74,530
Human resources managers Human Resources Managers

Human resources managers plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of an organization.

Bachelor's degree $136,350
Human resource specialists Human Resources Specialists

Human resources specialists recruit, screen, and interview job applicants and place newly hired workers in jobs. They also may handle compensation and benefits, training, and employee relations.

Bachelor's degree $67,650
Instructional coordinators Instructional Coordinators

Instructional coordinators oversee school curriculums and teaching standards. They develop instructional material, implement it, and assess its effectiveness.

Master's degree $74,620
Labor Relations Specialists

Labor relations specialists resolve employee-management disputes and negotiate labor contracts.

Bachelor's degree $89,980
project management specialists Project Management Specialists

Project management specialists coordinate the budget, schedule, staffing, and other details of a project.

Bachelor's degree $98,580
School and Career Counselors School and Career Counselors and Advisors

School counselors help students develop academic and social skills. Career counselors and advisors help people choose a path to employment.

Master's degree $61,710
Training and development managers Training and Development Managers

Training and development managers plan, coordinate, and direct skills- and knowledge-enhancement programs for an organization’s staff.

Bachelor's degree $125,040
Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Training and Development Specialists,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/training-and-development-specialists.htm (visited October 01, 2024).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024

What They Do

The What They Do tab describes the typical duties and responsibilities of workers in the occupation, including what tools and equipment they use and how closely they are supervised. This tab also covers different types of occupational specialties.

Work Environment

The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs held in the occupation and describes the workplace, the level of physical activity expected, and typical hours worked. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face.

How to Become One

The How to Become One tab describes how to prepare for a job in the occupation. This tab can include information on education, training, work experience, licensing and certification, and important qualities that are required or helpful for entering or working in the occupation.

Pay

The Pay tab describes typical earnings and how workers in the occupation are compensated—annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, tips, or bonuses. Within every occupation, earnings vary by experience, responsibility, performance, tenure, and geographic area. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH.

State & Area Data

The State and Area Data tab provides links to state and area occupational data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, state projections data from Projections Central, and occupational information from the Department of Labor's CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect employment growth or decline in the occupation, and in some instances, describes the relationship between the number of job seekers and the number of job openings.

Similar Occupations

The Similar Occupations tab describes occupations that share similar duties, skills, interests, education, or training with the occupation covered in the profile.

Contacts for More Information

The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation. This tab also includes links to relevant occupational information from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

2023 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2023, the median annual wage for all workers was $48,060.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

Work experience in a related occupation

Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education.

Number of Jobs, 2023

The employment, or size, of this occupation in 2023, which is the base year of the 2023-33 employment projections.

Job Outlook, 2023-33

The projected percent change in employment from 2023 to 2033. The average growth rate for all occupations is 4 percent.

Employment Change, 2023-33

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Entry-level Education

Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.

On-the-job Training

Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.

Employment Change, projected 2023-33

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Growth Rate (Projected)

The percent change of employment for each occupation from 2023 to 2033.

Projected Number of New Jobs

The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

Projected Growth Rate

The projected percent change in employment from 2023 to 2033.

2023 Median Pay

The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2023, the median annual wage for all workers was $48,060.