Training and Development Specialist

Eventually, everybody grows up. And when they do, they typically stop sucking their thumb, watching cartoons, and eating inordinate amounts of candy treats. There’s at least one thing, however, that people don’t stop doing when they become adults: learning.

That said, adults do stop going to school. To keep the learning alive, therefore, they need a Teacher. A Training and Development Specialist is that Teacher.

As a Training and Development Specialist, you’re hired by companies to train employees via seminars, presentations, and workshops that teach new skills and impart new knowledge, the result of which is improved employee productivity, higher employee morale, and increased employee loyalty.

Sessions may last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and in some cases may even last several weeks or months. The content varies — you may teach teamwork, for instance, communication skills, or even technical knowledge for using new software, employing new tools, or adopting new management strategies. However, the process is typically the same: You work with clients to determine program objectives, then design and develop lessons, lectures, and activities to achieve them, ultimately executing lesson plans via instruction, discussion, and demonstration.

Although it’s common to deliver programs in person in classrooms and conference facilities, you may also engage students remotely and virtually through distance education programs, training videos, and Internet-based learning environments.

Sometimes, you’re called a Human Resources Development Specialist, an Employee Development Specialist, or simply a Trainer. Always, though, your goal as a Training and Development Specialist is turning grown-up workers into lifelong learners to the benefit of employees and employers alike.