People in training and development jobs design and implement employee training programs. Training and development jobs usually are located within human resources departments. Some of the most common training and development jobs are those of manager and specialist. These are general titles for managerial and professional roles in training and development; the specific titles will vary by company and organization. Another important role is that of curriculum developer.
Training and development managers oversee all aspects of the training and development organization. Sometimes a person in this job is called a training manager, an organizational development manager or a similar title. In large organizations, a training and development manager might report to a training and development director. In smaller organizations, they might be the same person.
The basic responsibilities of a person in this leadership role include setting training goals for the company or other organization, determining what computer system and other systems are needed to implement training and more. The training and development manager performs needs assessments throughout the organization to find out what kind of training is necessary. Training and development managers determine what training delivery methods are called for, arrange contracts with outside vendors to conduct training and assign specialists to conduct training or do the teaching themselves, depending on the size and structure of the organization. Training and development managers also oversee departmental budgets, equipment and classroom facilities.
Training and development specialists are the workers who conduct classroom training, on-the-job training and employee orientation sessions. They might work directly with individual employees to determine development needs. People in this role might also be called training specialists, training and development coordinators, human resources specialists in training and development or similar titles.
People in training and development specialist jobs, like their managers, conduct needs assessments in organizations. They might develop training programs for individual employees or entire departments. They use traditional classroom training, computer training and other methods to help develop personnel. Measuring the results of training through surveys and other means might also be a part of their job. Sometimes they also write the training material or consult with curriculum developers.
Curriculum developers write and develop training materials based on employee needs and gaps in employee knowledge. Curriculum developers often are freelancers who specialize in developing curriculum for organizations. Sometimes curriculum developers are on a company's staff, depending on the organization.
Some other training and development jobs within a company might include technology and innovation managers who bring in new learning technologies and continuing education managers who coordinate higher education opportunities. Knowledge-management workers retain historical company data, lessons learned and information from previous employees. Depending on an organization and its size, separate people might perform each of these training and development jobs, or they might be among the responsibilities of training managers or training specialists.