Training and Development Specialists
Design and conduct training and development programs to improve individual and organizational performance. May analyze training needs and develop course content.
Training and Development Specialists design and conduct training and development programs to improve individual and organizational performance. May analyze training needs and develop course content. The role reports a median annual salary of $65,850 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $36,600 and $107,650 and is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.61 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £36,357 a year for Other vocational and industrial trainers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £29,544 to £45,884 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3574). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Training and Development Specialists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Human Resource Management — BBA with an HR specialisation (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPMAT
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
3 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Communications and Media
A day in the life
You start the morning reviewing survey feedback from last week's leadership workshop and tweaking the slide deck and exercises based on what participants said worked and what fell flat. By mid-morning you are facilitating a live training session—leading icebreakers, guiding role-play exercises, and moderating group discussions on effective communication. Afternoons are spent building e-learning modules in Articulate or Captivate, meeting with department managers to assess skills gaps, or analyzing training completion data to report ROI to leadership. The best part of the job is watching a room full of skeptical employees leave energized and equipped with tools they can actually use the next day.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually 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.
- Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Training and Development Specialists do?
Design and conduct training and development programs to improve individual and organizational performance. May analyze training needs and develop course content.
What does a typical day look like in Training and Development Specialists?
You start the morning reviewing survey feedback from last week's leadership workshop and tweaking the slide deck and exercises based on what participants said worked and what fell flat. By mid-morning you are facilitating a live training session—leading icebreakers, guiding role-play exercises, and moderating group discussions on effective communication.
How much does Training and Development Specialists earn?
The median annual salary for Training and Development Specialists in the US is $65,850. The middle 80% of workers earn between $36,600 and $107,650 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $48,590 and $84,420.
What is the job outlook for Training and Development Specialists?
The role is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 452,300 workers.
How do I become training and development specialists?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Training and Development Specialists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Critical Thinking, Monitoring. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Training and Development Specialists?
Our AI-durability model gives Training and Development Specialists a score of 0.61 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Training and Development Specialists has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.