Career
Training and development specialists
Teach people the skills their jobs require.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.
- Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.
- Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.
- Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills.
- Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, or consultation with managers, instructors, or customer representatives.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
AI
BLS now cites artificial intelligence in this occupation's outlook: “share increases as demand for continuous training increases due to accelerating technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) in the labor market.”
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $69,280 a year and 46,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Teaching (by Grade Level)See the degree →
- Public Relations and AdvertisingSee the degree →
- Human ResourcesSee the degree →
- Organizational Communication, GeneralCIP 09.0901
- Educational/Instructional TechnologyCIP 13.0501
- Adult and Continuing Education and TeachingCIP 13.1201
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Training and Development Managers$133,000 · +6.4%
- Instructional Coordinators$77,440 · +1.6%
- Management Analysts$101,860 · +10.1%
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists$193,950 · +6.5%
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$64,330 · +2.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.