Training and Development Specialists

What Training and Development Specialists Do

Design or conduct work-related training and development programs to improve individual skills or organizational performance. May analyze organizational training needs or evaluate training effectiveness.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

0.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Education and Trainingimportance 4.7/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
• English Languageimportance 3.8/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.5/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
• Psychologyimportance 3.4/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 3.3/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Contact With Others4.6/5
• Telephone Conversations4.5/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
• Freedom to Make Decisions4.3/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.3/5

Related Careers

• Training and Development Managers
• Instructional Coordinators
• Management Analysts
• Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
• Human Resources Specialists

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Health Education Specialists98% skill match
• Training and Development Managers98% skill match
• Financial Managers97% skill match
• Medical and Health Services Managers97% skill match
• Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
• Art Directors97% skill match
• Marketing Managers97% skill match
• Advertising and Promotions Managers97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Instructingimportance 4.4/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.6/5
• Systems Evaluationimportance 3.4/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Social Orientation
• Innovation
• Cooperation
• Adaptability
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Achievement Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• SocialHigh
• InvestigativeMedium
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• ArtisticMedium
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where training and development specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Logan, UT-ID2.15× national avg
2. 2Rochester, MN1.97× national avg
3. 3Jacksonville, NC1.76× national avg
4. 4Raleigh-Cary, NC1.75× national avg
5. 5Pueblo, CO1.74× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Training and Development ManagersCareer Change
• Management AnalystsLateral Move
• Medical and Health Services ManagersCareer Change
• Financial ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Training and Development Specialists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.