Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
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Training & Development Manager
Training and career development are essential to your company's success and your employees' satisfaction, and it can be challenging to address these needs as well as all other HR functions. Read on to learn how a training and development manager can help.
What Is a Training & Development Manager?
A training and development manager does just that: trains and develops your team members. Their typical duties include overseeing training programs to ensure employees are up to date on applicable company-wide trainings. These managers also help the employees achieve personal and professional growth by increasing their skills and knowledge. The amount of ownership you give this manager is up to the structure of your organization, but best practice is to let them own the full training and development section of your company. They will identify the gaps in training and fill them by designing, planning, and successfully implementing programs that support employees as they grow with your organization.
Should a Company Have a Training and Development Manager?
Overlooking training and development of all kinds is one of the most detrimental things you can do for your organization. Often, when employees recognize the need for a training in their current role, it’s already too late for the training and they're up to your eyeballs in something you don’t understand. Let’s review a few benefits to having a dedicated training and development manager, as well as a few things that may cause you to pause on hiring for this role right now.
Benefits of Having a Training & Development Manager
- Productivity. Let’s face it, when it comes to productivity, there are always inefficiencies that we can improve, and that’s where training and development comes into play. Taking the time to appropriately train your employees can free up the time they spend looking for how to do something instead of actually doing it.
- Morale. As you train employees, you’re developing them as full individuals. Providing them the necessary tools to be successful in their roles gives everyone a little pep in their step and boosts morale.
- Compliance. Whether your organization is required to keep employees up to date on safety, sexual harrassment, or other annual topics, a training and development manager is responsible to know and comply with them.
- Align employees with company expectations. As your training and development manager targets specific skills gaps, they will market those trainings and focus on sharing the big picture with your company. Keeping employees aligned with company expectations and overall goals is a great benefit of this role.
Downsides of Having a Training & Development Manager
- Cost. Hiring and onboarding a training and development manager will be initially expensive, as all new hires are. The skills required for this role may lead to time-intensive recruiting and interviewing. With that in mind, initial cost can be a downside of this position.
- Consistent workflow. Consider whether you have a consistent amount of work for this role. You may have the need for trainings right now, but how do you keep this managerial-level role busy year round after initial training needs are met? Consider this role from all angles as you evaluate adding a training and development manager to your organization.
Responsibilities of a Training & Development Manager
When it comes to the type of person you want in this role, or even becoming one yourself, you’ll want to consider these responsibilities.
Assess Training Needs
First and foremost, the training and development manager needs to assess the needs of the organization. They will take the time to perform a gap analysis and find areas within the organization that need attention.
Align Training with Organization Goals
As they assess the needs, they need to evaluate how they can create trainings that align with the organization's goals. Perhaps one goal is to retain employees and promote within. In that case, trainings should include consistent leadership and growth opportunities easily accessible to all employees.
Manage and Conduct Trainings
The training and development manager is solely responsible, in most cases, to manage all trainings from beginning to end — from email updates to the follow-up quiz, should there be one. The entire training cycle will begin and end in this role.
Create and Maintain Training Budgets
This role determines the necessary cost to continually train and develop your current and growing workforce. Everything from technology required to incentives you would like to provide should be included in your budget. The training and development manager is responsible to keep this budget comprehensive and up to date should you need to request money in order to continue momentum.
Evaluate and Update Training Consistently
As you continually train and develop your employees, a critical responsibility is to evaluate the benefit these trainings bring to your workforce. This role spends time considering what service they are providing employees and how they can evaluate and update that in the future.
Training & Development Manager Skills
Let’s see what will set this role up for success by reviewing some specific skills.
Presentation Skills
This role requires extensive presentation skills and experience to back it up. Most training requires some version of presentation for the benefit of the employee, and the person in this role should be able to provide a captivating experience. This includes multimedia presentations or specific company platform presentations to ensure employees are engaged in the training and able to garner the necessary information from the meeting. A training and development manager should have top-notch presentation skills.
Communication Skills
Presentation is about what you say; communication is how you say it. Think of how much time this role will spend in constant communication with colleagues. The ability to effectively articulate information and clearly explain situations will be an imperative skill for this role to have.
Training and Development Skills
It sounds like a silly thing to say—that the training and development manager needs training and development skills—but it’s true. They need the ability to research training options and provide alternatives that fit your company as needed.
How to Become a Training & Development Manager
The level of requirements needed to become a training and development manager can vary from organization to organization, but typically you’ll need a combination of the items below to be effective in this role.
Education
Some organizations require a Bachelor's degree in order to hold a managerial level position, so consider that when evaluating this route. Education can set you up for success as you spend your days mentoring and leading others to be the best versions of themselves in your organization. Start at the beginning and get a degree that can support you throughout this field. Perhaps consider a degree in communication or even business.
Experience
Often, organizations won’t hire you for higher-level positions without experience, but you can’t get experience if they won’t hire you. At the end of the day, get your foot in the door with training and development at any level in your current organization, and don’t give up. Keep working your way up that ladder and take every opportunity to broaden your experience.
Certification
It’s not necessarily a requirement, but one item to consider when you’re looking into this role is a certification. Consider becoming a Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP), or even HRCI- or SHRM-certified, any of which shows dedication to your future employer and gives you that leg up as you’re pursuing a career in the training and development world. Show them you’re serious by earning additional credentials.
Topics
Shalie Reich
Shalie has over 4 years of experience working in a variety of HR positions and organizations including: working as an HR department "of one", working with a start-up based in Europe, to working in a fully established robust USA based HR department. Shalie has experience in multiple states and countries with all aspects of the HR spectrum. She has a passion to share her knowledge and experience to benefit the HR profession!
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
Training & Development Manager
Training and career development are essential to your company's success and your employees' satisfaction, and it can be challenging to address these needs as well as all other HR functions. Read on to learn how a training and development manager can help.
What Is a Training & Development Manager?
A training and development manager does just that: trains and develops your team members. Their typical duties include overseeing training programs to ensure employees are up to date on applicable company-wide trainings. These managers also help the employees achieve personal and professional growth by increasing their skills and knowledge. The amount of ownership you give this manager is up to the structure of your organization, but best practice is to let them own the full training and development section of your company. They will identify the gaps in training and fill them by designing, planning, and successfully implementing programs that support employees as they grow with your organization.
Should a Company Have a Training and Development Manager?
Overlooking training and development of all kinds is one of the most detrimental things you can do for your organization. Often, when employees recognize the need for a training in their current role, it’s already too late for the training and they're up to your eyeballs in something you don’t understand. Let’s review a few benefits to having a dedicated training and development manager, as well as a few things that may cause you to pause on hiring for this role right now.
Benefits of Having a Training & Development Manager
- Productivity. Let’s face it, when it comes to productivity, there are always inefficiencies that we can improve, and that’s where training and development comes into play. Taking the time to appropriately train your employees can free up the time they spend looking for how to do something instead of actually doing it.
- Morale. As you train employees, you’re developing them as full individuals. Providing them the necessary tools to be successful in their roles gives everyone a little pep in their step and boosts morale.
- Compliance. Whether your organization is required to keep employees up to date on safety, sexual harrassment, or other annual topics, a training and development manager is responsible to know and comply with them.
- Align employees with company expectations. As your training and development manager targets specific skills gaps, they will market those trainings and focus on sharing the big picture with your company. Keeping employees aligned with company expectations and overall goals is a great benefit of this role.
Downsides of Having a Training & Development Manager
- Cost. Hiring and onboarding a training and development manager will be initially expensive, as all new hires are. The skills required for this role may lead to time-intensive recruiting and interviewing. With that in mind, initial cost can be a downside of this position.
- Consistent workflow. Consider whether you have a consistent amount of work for this role. You may have the need for trainings right now, but how do you keep this managerial-level role busy year round after initial training needs are met? Consider this role from all angles as you evaluate adding a training and development manager to your organization.
Responsibilities of a Training & Development Manager
When it comes to the type of person you want in this role, or even becoming one yourself, you’ll want to consider these responsibilities.
Assess Training Needs
First and foremost, the training and development manager needs to assess the needs of the organization. They will take the time to perform a gap analysis and find areas within the organization that need attention.
Align Training with Organization Goals
As they assess the needs, they need to evaluate how they can create trainings that align with the organization's goals. Perhaps one goal is to retain employees and promote within. In that case, trainings should include consistent leadership and growth opportunities easily accessible to all employees.
Manage and Conduct Trainings
The training and development manager is solely responsible, in most cases, to manage all trainings from beginning to end — from email updates to the follow-up quiz, should there be one. The entire training cycle will begin and end in this role.
Create and Maintain Training Budgets
This role determines the necessary cost to continually train and develop your current and growing workforce. Everything from technology required to incentives you would like to provide should be included in your budget. The training and development manager is responsible to keep this budget comprehensive and up to date should you need to request money in order to continue momentum.
Evaluate and Update Training Consistently
As you continually train and develop your employees, a critical responsibility is to evaluate the benefit these trainings bring to your workforce. This role spends time considering what service they are providing employees and how they can evaluate and update that in the future.
Training & Development Manager Skills
Let’s see what will set this role up for success by reviewing some specific skills.
Presentation Skills
This role requires extensive presentation skills and experience to back it up. Most training requires some version of presentation for the benefit of the employee, and the person in this role should be able to provide a captivating experience. This includes multimedia presentations or specific company platform presentations to ensure employees are engaged in the training and able to garner the necessary information from the meeting. A training and development manager should have top-notch presentation skills.
Communication Skills
Presentation is about what you say; communication is how you say it. Think of how much time this role will spend in constant communication with colleagues. The ability to effectively articulate information and clearly explain situations will be an imperative skill for this role to have.
Training and Development Skills
It sounds like a silly thing to say—that the training and development manager needs training and development skills—but it’s true. They need the ability to research training options and provide alternatives that fit your company as needed.
How to Become a Training & Development Manager
The level of requirements needed to become a training and development manager can vary from organization to organization, but typically you’ll need a combination of the items below to be effective in this role.
Education
Some organizations require a Bachelor's degree in order to hold a managerial level position, so consider that when evaluating this route. Education can set you up for success as you spend your days mentoring and leading others to be the best versions of themselves in your organization. Start at the beginning and get a degree that can support you throughout this field. Perhaps consider a degree in communication or even business.
Experience
Often, organizations won’t hire you for higher-level positions without experience, but you can’t get experience if they won’t hire you. At the end of the day, get your foot in the door with training and development at any level in your current organization, and don’t give up. Keep working your way up that ladder and take every opportunity to broaden your experience.
Certification
It’s not necessarily a requirement, but one item to consider when you’re looking into this role is a certification. Consider becoming a Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP), or even HRCI- or SHRM-certified, any of which shows dedication to your future employer and gives you that leg up as you’re pursuing a career in the training and development world. Show them you’re serious by earning additional credentials.
Topics
Shalie Reich
Shalie has over 4 years of experience working in a variety of HR positions and organizations including: working as an HR department "of one", working with a start-up based in Europe, to working in a fully established robust USA based HR department. Shalie has experience in multiple states and countries with all aspects of the HR spectrum. She has a passion to share her knowledge and experience to benefit the HR profession!
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
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