Know All About Training and Development Specialists

A Training and Development specialist is the expert who plans, designs, delivers, as well as monitors the training program for employees to improve their knowledge, skill and efficiency. The demand of a training and development specialist is present in almost every industry, it is even predicted that, in next ten years there will be a growth of employment in the field by 9%. Those with experience of developing online and mobile training programs will be much in demand.

How do you become a Training and Development Specialist?

Educational Requirement

The applicant should have a minimum Bachelor’s degree along with good presentation and communication skills. The educational background may vary from human resource to social science to specialization that is related to training and development field. Since we are living in 21st century, individuals with skills in information technology, use of online and virtual training programs are expected to be in the front line.

Work Experience

Many organizations prefer trainers with previous related experience in their line of job openings, although the requirement of job experience varies as per positions. For example, position in relation to HR requires experience of instructional design or Training and Development whereas it is also possible that some organizations may hire applicants with master degree.

Specific Qualities

Written and oral communication
Instructional skill
Presentation skill
Interpersonal skill
Analytical skill
E-learning knowledge
Technology based skill
Leadership skill
Creativity

Job of a Training and Development Specialist

A Training and Development specialist monitors the entire training program. In order to do so, they particularly have to follow certain structure to maximize the outcome of their training process. Below is the basic format that a Training and Development specialist needs to follow:

Assess the need of the organization with various tools like survey, interview with employees and extensive discussion with managers from time to time
Define the training objective
Design the road map of the training by creating different modules for delivery
Review the training materials from a wide range of source and choose accordingly to fit with the training objective as well as the trainee group
Implementation of the training can be done by using various instructional strategies with wide range of activities and deliverables
Evaluating the end result by assessing the employee and also the training program

Apart from all these a Training and Development specialist also need to be aware and proactive in the matter of motivation, goal orientation, and use of electronic devices, monitoring training costs and creating enthusiastic environment for employees.

Work Environment and Schedules

A training and development specialist usually works as full-time worker, though there may be a requirement to travel or occasionally spending few extra hours depending upon the project. They spend most of their time in giving presentation, dealing with variety of people and most importantly delivering the training program.

Certification

There are many organization and institution that provides varied range of classes for developing the skills of an individual as a trainer. A person having degree in relation to the relevant area with work experience may not require a certification, although it is always a good idea to showcase one’s expertise and credibility. None the less upgrading oneself always stirs the creativity.

Career Prospect

It is being projected that over the next ten years, the employment growth in the field of training and development will increase by 9% (faster than average).
A training and development specialist after certain years of experience can move up to training and development manager or human resource manager. With the increasing demand and accessibility of lasted technology, a trainer also needs to hone his/her skills in the field of technology to introduce newest training initiatives, as many industries and companies are shifting towards media and technology-based structure. In order to promote, they may require completing advanced courses in the relevant field.

Career Options for Training and Development Specialist

Corporate Trainers
Responsibility of a corporate trainer is to enhance the productivity of an organization by providing training sessions to its employees.
Career and Technical Education Teachers
This job profile deals with training in specific occupation such as health science, agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing and culinary art where they provide training in career skills to middle school, high school and post-secondary institute.
Compensation and Benefit Manager
Responsibility of Compensation and Benefit Manager is to administer and structure the pay and benefit program of the employees.
Compensation, Benefit and Job Analysis Specialist
Along with managing the compensation and benefit program of the employee, this job profile includes the evaluation in details of the salary categories as per job description.
Human Resource Manager
The responsibility of HR manager is linked with recruitment, training of employees, administer salaries, and develop the relationship between company and employee. Apart from all these a HR manager also has to structure and coordinate administrative functions of the organization.
Human Resource Specialist
Human Resource specialist deals with screening, recruitment, support and place workers in the organization. Depending upon their job profile they might also require to measure employee performance, maintain employee records and employee relations.
Instructional Specialist
The role of an Instructional Specialist is to assess, develop, discuss and implement the curriculum in school.
Labor Relation Specialist
Labor Relation specialist works as a medium between employee, company and union. They administer as well as facilitate the issues related to work environment, compensation, wages, salaries, healthcare and pension.
Training and Development Manager
The main focus of this job role is to assess, administer and evaluate training sessions and development for employees to enhance the productivity of an organization.