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Training and Development Managers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $133,000 Median per year · $63.94/hr Most earn $79,550–$233,600

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • 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.
  • Analyze training needs to develop new training programs or modify and improve existing programs.
  • Review and evaluate training and apprenticeship programs for compliance with government standards.
  • Develop and organize training manuals, multimedia visual aids, and other educational materials.
  • Coordinate established courses with technical and professional courses provided by community schools, and designate training procedures.
  • Evaluate instructor performance and the effectiveness of training programs, providing recommendations for improvement.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 4,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Management of companies and enterprises12.0%
  • Software publishers3.9%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services3.5%
  • Computer systems design and related services3.4%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals3.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Training and Development Manager is not an entry-level job. People usually spend about 4 years earning a bachelor's degree, then work 4 to 6 years in training or HR before moving into this role, so expect roughly 8 to 10 years in total. Pay varies by location and experience, so check the career page for the typical pay near you and nationally.

  1. Bachelor's degree in human resources, education, psychology, business, or communications

    4 years

    A degree gives you the foundation in how people learn and how organizations work, and it is the usual education requirement for this career.

  2. Training and Development Specialist

    2-4 years

    You design, deliver, and evaluate training for employees, which builds the hands-on experience needed to lead others. Most people reach the manager level after about 4 to 6 years of related work in total.

  3. Training and Development Manager

    Ongoing once you reach this role

    You plan and lead the company's training programs, manage staff, and set learning goals. This is the career itself, and it typically follows about 4 to 6 years of related experience.

Where it can lead

  1. Human Resources Manager

    4-6 years of experience first

    You move from running training to leading a broader HR function, including hiring, employee relations, and compensation planning, and you usually need strong HR experience first.

  2. Director of Learning and Development

    5-8 years of experience first

    You oversee the training strategy for a whole organization or several locations, manage other managers, and report to senior leaders. Moving up usually means showing measurable business results from learning programs.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take psychology, communications, or public speaking classesThese classes build the skills of explaining ideas clearly and understanding how people learn, which are central to training work.
  • Join a debate, speech, or drama clubPresenting in front of groups helps you get comfortable leading sessions and answering questions from an audience.
  • Tutor or mentor younger studentsTeaching others gives you real experience in planning lessons and checking whether people understood, which is the core of training.
  • Get a part-time job in customer service or retailWorking with the public teaches patience, communication, and how to explain things to people with different needs.
  • Volunteer to help run a school or community eventOrganizing a schedule, a team, and a goal gives you early practice in the planning and coordination this career requires.

In college

  • Major in human resources, organizational leadership, education, or psychologyThese majors cover how people learn and how organizations develop talent, which is the knowledge base for this career.
  • Seek an internship in HR, corporate training, or learning and developmentA real internship shows you how training programs are built and gives you experience to list on your resume for entry-level jobs.
  • Work a campus job that involves teaching or coachingRoles like peer tutor, resident advisor, or orientation leader build the presentation and coaching skills you will use every day.
  • Join a student organization that runs workshops or leadership programsPlanning sessions for other students gives you practice designing learning experiences and managing a team.
  • Learn common workplace tools such as spreadsheets and presentation softwareMany training roles ask you to track results and build slides, so these skills make you a stronger candidate early on.

Tips for getting started

  • Get experience helping others learn early, such as tutoring, coaching a team, or leading workshops, because managers in this field are expected to have taught or trained people themselves.
  • Learn basic HR and workplace skills like public speaking, writing, and using spreadsheets or learning software, since these show up in most training job ads.
  • Ask a working training or HR professional for a short informational interview to learn what their day looks like and which degree or first job helped them most.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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