Training and Development Manager
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What they do:
Plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization.
On the job, you would:
- Analyze training needs to develop new training programs or modify and improve existing programs.
- Evaluate instructor performance and the effectiveness of training programs, providing recommendations for improvement.
- Plan, develop, and provide training and staff development programs, using knowledge of the effectiveness of methods such as classroom training, demonstrations, on-the-job training, meetings, conferences, and workshops.
Important Qualities
Business skills. Training and development managers must understand business operations in order to match training with business goals. They also need to be able to plan and adhere to budgets.
Collaboration skills. Training and development managers need strong interpersonal skills for working with staff, trainees, subject matter experts, and organization leaders. They accomplish much of their work through teams.
Communication skills. Training and development managers must clearly convey information to diverse audiences. They also must be able to effectively instruct their staff.
Critical-thinking skills. Training and development managers use critical-thinking skills when assessing classes, materials, and programs. They must identify the training needs of an organization and make changes and improvements as required.
Decision-making skills. Training and development managers must select or create the best training programs to meet the needs of an organization. For example, they must review available training methods and materials and choose those that best fit each program.
Collaboration skills. Training and development managers need strong interpersonal skills because delivering training programs requires working in concert with staff, trainees, subject matter experts, and the organization’s leaders. They also accomplish much of their work through teams.
Instructional skills. Training and development managers need to understand the fundamentals of teaching and lesson planning. In addition to developing training, they may lead courses or seminars.
Leadership skills. Managers are often in charge of a staff and programs. They must be able to organize, motivate, and instruct those working for them.
Personality
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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92% | Integrity  -  Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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91% | Leadership  -  Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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90% | Initiative  -  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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89% | Dependability  -  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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88% | Adaptability/Flexibility  -  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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85% | Self-Control  -  Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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84% | Cooperation  -  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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81% | Achievement/Effort  -  Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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80% | Stress Tolerance  -  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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80% | Social Orientation  -  Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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80% | Attention to Detail  -  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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79% | Concern for Others  -  Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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78% | Persistence  -  Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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72% | Analytical Thinking  -  Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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67% | Innovation  -  Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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66% | Independence  -  Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. |
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
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100% | Enterprising  -  Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. | |
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83% | Social  -  Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities. |
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
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83% | Relationships  -  Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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78% | Working Conditions  -  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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72% | Achievement  -  Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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72% | Independence  -  Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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67% | Recognition  -  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. |
Aptitude
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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78% | Oral Expression  -  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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75% | Written Comprehension  -  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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75% | Written Expression  -  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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75% | Fluency of Ideas  -  The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |
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75% | Oral Comprehension  -  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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75% | Deductive Reasoning  -  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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75% | Speech Clarity  -  The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |
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72% | Speech Recognition  -  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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72% | Inductive Reasoning  -  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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72% | Originality  -  The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | |
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72% | Problem Sensitivity  -  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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69% | Information Ordering  -  The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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75% | Learning Strategies  -  Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. | |
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68% | Speaking  -  Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |
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68% | Instructing  -  Teaching others how to do something. |
Job Details
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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95% | Electronic Mail  -  How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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91% | Telephone  -  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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91% | Contact With Others  -  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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91% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled  -  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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87% | Work With Work Group or Team  -  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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84% | Face-to-Face Discussions  -  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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83% | Structured versus Unstructured Work  -  To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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77% | Freedom to Make Decisions  -  How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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75% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results  -  What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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74% | Time Pressure  -  How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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72% | Coordinate or Lead Others  -  How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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71% | Spend Time Sitting  -  How much does this job require sitting? | |
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70% | Frequency of Decision Making  -  How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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68% | Responsibility for Outcomes and Results  -  How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers? | |
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87% | Duration of Typical Work Week  -  Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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95% | Training and Teaching Others  -  Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. | |
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94% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships  -  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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94% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates  -  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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89% | Getting Information  -  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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89% | Coaching and Developing Others  -  Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. | |
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83% | Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates  -  Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. | |
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83% | Developing and Building Teams  -  Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members. | |
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82% | Working with Computers  -  Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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81% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge  -  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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80% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems  -  Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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80% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work  -  Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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79% | Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others  -  Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. | |
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78% | Providing Consultation and Advice to Others  -  Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics. | |
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76% | Thinking Creatively  -  Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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75% | Developing Objectives and Strategies  -  Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. | |
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75% | Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others  -  Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. | |
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74% | Scheduling Work and Activities  -  Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. | |
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72% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events  -  Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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71% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others  -  Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. | |
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71% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards  -  Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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70% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings  -  Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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70% | Analyzing Data or Information  -  Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. | |
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69% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People  -  Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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66% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization  -  Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. |
What Training and Development Managers Do
Training and development managers plan, coordinate, and direct skills- and knowledge-enhancement programs for an organization’s staff.
Duties
Training and development managers typically do the following:
- Oversee training and development staff
- Assess employees’ needs for training
- Align training with the organization’s goals
- Create and manage training budgets
- Develop and implement training programs
- Review and select training materials from a variety of vendors
- Update training programs to ensure that they are relevant
- Teach training methods and skills to instructors and supervisors
- Evaluate the effectiveness of training programs and instructors
Training and development managers oversee training programs, staff, and budgets. They are responsible for creating or selecting course content and materials for training programs. Training may be in the form of a video, self-guided instructional manual, or online application and delivered in person or through a computer or other hand-held electronic device. Training also may be collaborative, with employees informally connecting with experts, mentors, and colleagues, often through social media or other online medium. Managers must ensure that training methods, content, software, systems, and equipment are appropriate.
Training and development managers typically supervise a staff of training and development specialists, such as instructional designers, program developers, and instructors. Managers teach training methods to specialists who, in turn, instruct the organization’s employees—both new and experienced. Managers direct the daily activities of specialists and evaluate their effectiveness. Although training and development managers primarily oversee specialists and program operations, some also conduct training courses.
Training and development managers often confer with managers of other departments to identify training needs. They may work with top executives and financial managers to identify and match training priorities with overall business goals. They may also prepare training budgets and ensure that expenses stay within budget.
Work Environment
Training and development managers held about 41,300 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of training and development managers were as follows:
Professional, scientific, and technical services | 13% |
Management of companies and enterprises | 13 |
Educational services; state, local, and private | 12 |
Finance and insurance | 10 |
Healthcare and social assistance | 9 |
Training and development managers typically work in offices. Some travel between a main office and regional offices or training facilities. They spend much of their time working with people and overseeing training activities.
Work Schedules
Most training and development managers work full time during regular business hours. Some work more than 40 hours per week.
Getting Started
How to Become a Training and Development Manager
Candidates typically need a combination of education and related work experience to become a training and development manager. Although many positions require a bachelor’s degree, some jobs require a master’s degree.
Education
Many positions require training and development managers to have a bachelor’s degree, but some jobs require a master’s degree. Although training and development managers come from a variety of educational backgrounds, these workers commonly have a bachelor’s degree in business, communications, social science, or a related field.
Some employers prefer or require training and development managers to have a master’s degree with a concentration in training and development, human resources management, organizational development, or business administration (MBA).
Training and development managers may also benefit from studying instructional design, behavioral psychology, or educational psychology.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Related work experience is essential for training and development managers. Many positions require work experience in management, teaching, or training and development or another human resources field. For example, some training and development managers start out as training and development specialists. Some employers also prefer experience in the industry in which the company operates.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Although it is not required for training and development managers, certification may show professional expertise. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have certification, and some positions require it.
Many professional associations for human resources professionals offer classes to enhance the skills of their members. Some associations, including the Association for Talent Development and the International Society for Performance Improvement, specialize in training and development and offer certification programs. The Society for Human Resource Management offers general human resources certification.
Job Outlook
Employment of training and development managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.
About 3,500 openings for training and development managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
In many occupations, employees are required to take continuing education and skill development courses throughout their careers, creating demand for workers who develop and provide training materials.
Innovations in training methods and learning technology are expected to continue throughout the decade, particularly for organizations with remote workers. Organizations use social media, visual simulations, mobile learning, and social networks in their training programs. Training and development managers need to continue modifying training programs, allocating budgets, and integrating these features into training programs and curriculums.
In addition, as companies seek to reduce costs, training and development managers may be required to structure programs to enlist available experts, take advantage of existing resources, and facilitate positive relationships among staff. Training and development managers may use informal collaborative learning and social media to engage and train employees in the most cost-effective way.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about training and development managers, including certification, visit
Association for Talent Development
International Society for Performance Improvement
For information about human resources management careers and certification, visit
Society for Human Resource Management
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of training and development managers.
Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Career and Technical Education Teachers |
Career and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts. |
Bachelor's degree | $61,450 | |
Compensation and Benefits Managers |
Compensation and benefits managers plan, develop, and oversee programs to pay employees. |
Bachelor's degree | $131,280 | |
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists |
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists oversee wage and nonwage programs that an organization provides to its employees in return for their work. They also evaluate position descriptions to determine details such as classification and salary. |
Bachelor's degree | $67,780 | |
Human Resources Managers |
Human resources managers plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of an organization. |
Bachelor's degree | $130,000 | |
Human Resources Specialists |
Human resources specialists recruit, screen, and interview job applicants and place newly hired workers in jobs. They also may handle compensation and benefits, training, and employee relations. |
Bachelor's degree | $64,240 | |
Instructional Coordinators |
Instructional coordinators oversee school curriculums and teaching standards. They develop instructional material, implement it, and assess its effectiveness. |
Master's degree | $66,490 | |
Postsecondary Education Administrators |
Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. |
Master's degree | $99,940 | |
School and Career Counselors and Advisors |
School counselors help students develop academic and social skills. Career counselors and advisors help people choose a path to employment. |
Master's degree | $60,140 | |
Training and Development Specialists |
Training and development specialists plan and administer programs that improve the skills and knowledge of their employees. |
Bachelor's degree | $63,080 | |
Labor Relations Specialists |
Labor relations specialists interpret and administer labor contracts. |
Bachelor's degree | $82,010 |