Employment of training and development managers is expected to grow 15 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
As baby boomers reach retirement age and begin to leave the workforce, organizations will need capable training and development staff to train their replacements. The need to replace a large workforce of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees should result in organizations increasing their training staff, or contracting out services, to sustain a workforce of high quality employees and maintain a competitive edge.
In many fields, the increasing complexity of jobs and the rapid pace of change require employees to take continuing education and skill development courses throughout their careers. In addition, innovations in training methods and learning technology should continue throughout the next decade. For example, organizations increasingly use social media, visual simulations, mobile learning, and social networks in their training programs. Training and development managers will need to modify their programs to fit a new generation of workers for whom technology is a part of daily life and work.
Across most industries, employment of training and development managers is expected to grow as companies develop and introduce new media and technology into their training programs. Job prospects will vary by organization, but opportunities for training and development managers should be best in the management, scientific, and technical consulting services industry. Training and development contracting firms are often better equipped with the technology and technical expertise to produce new training initiatives, so some organizations will likely contract out portions of their training or program development work to these companies.
Those who have a master’s degree, certification, or work experience in training and development, another human resource field, management, or teaching should have the best job prospects.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition