Training and Development Specialists

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.

Most important skills

Speaking
Instructing
Learning Strategies
Active Listening
Social Perceptiveness
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Critical Thinking

Key knowledge

Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Personnel and Human Resources
Administration and Management
Psychology
Communications and Media
Computers and Electronics

What the work involves

Keep up with developments in area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles.
Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.
Schedule classes based on availability of classrooms, equipment, or instructors.
Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills.
Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness.
Attend meetings or seminars to obtain information for use in training programs or to inform management of training program status.
Coordinate recruitment and placement of training program participants.
Evaluate training materials prepared by instructors, such as outlines, text, or handouts.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (78.3% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (43.5%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (30.4%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Training and Development Specialists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 66% of occupations compared	65% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Low	Lower on dealing with the public than 62% of occupations compared	26% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all”
Teamwork	Moderate	Lower on teamwork than 51% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 70% of occupations compared	65% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 63% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 75% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 57% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 90% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: low
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions