# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/training-and-development-specialists
- SOC code: 13-1151.00
- Career family: Business and finance
- Median annual pay: $69,280 (10th percentile $38,760, 90th percentile $123,250)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +10.8%
- Openings a year: 46,000
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 17 |
| Investigative (I) | 51 |
| Artistic (A) | 37 |
| Social (S) | 77 |
| Enterprising (E) | 45 |
| Conventional (C) | 46 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 90/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 89/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 83/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 83/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 82/100)
- Providing Consultation and Advice to Others (importance 80/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 79/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 78/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 77/100)

## Skills

Instructing, Speaking, Learning Strategies, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension

## Knowledge

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

## Also called

Applications Trainer, Apprenticeship and Training Representative, Auxiliary Personnel Inservice Coordinator, Bilingual Trainer, Certified EPIC Trainer (Certified Electronic Privacy Information Center Trainer), Computer Software Training Specialist, Computer Technology Trainer, Computer Training Specialist, Corporate Trainer, Course Developer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1312) (CIP 1312, 1,830 colleges)
- [Human Resources Management and Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5210) (CIP 5210, 758 colleges)
- [Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4228) (CIP 4228, 729 colleges)
- [Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0909) (CIP 0909, 621 colleges)
- [Educational/Instructional Media Design](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1305) (CIP 1305, 369 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Human Resources Management and Services | $74,192 | $112,713 | $12,000 |
| [Northwestern University-Illinois](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northwestern-university-illinois-1966) | Human Resources Management and Services | $98,392 | $108,498 | not reported |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Human Resources Management and Services | $69,663 | $99,594 | $20,596 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Human Resources Management and Services | $58,393 | $97,126 | $20,000 |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Human Resources Management and Services | $66,527 | $96,354 | not reported |
| [Waldorf University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/waldorf-university-3151) | Human Resources Management and Services | $68,676 | $94,822 | $25,747 |
| [University of Richmond](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-richmond-3026) | Human Resources Management and Services | $57,533 | $92,389 | $25,000 |
| [Syracuse University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/syracuse-university-2667) | Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $63,858 | $90,535 | $24,250 |

## Related careers

- [Training and Development Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/training-and-development-managers): $133,000 median pay
- [Instructional Coordinators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/instructional-coordinators): $77,440 median pay
- [Management Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/management-analysts): $101,860 median pay
- [Industrial-Organizational Psychologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-organizational-psychologists): $193,950 median pay
- [Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/educational-guidance-and-career-counselors-and-advisors): $64,330 median pay
- [Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/career-technical-education-teachers-postsecondary): $63,820 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.