Learning and Development Specialist: Duties, Skills, and Career Growth

Learning and development (L&D) is the process of training employees and providing ongoing skill development opportunities. A learning and development specialist is an essential part of any human resources team. They primarily focus on designing and implementing new training plans for employees. 

Discover more about this versatile career, including the skills you'll need to be successful in this role. If you're interested in working on your L&D skill set right away, consider enrolling in the HCRI course Learning and Development, where you'll learn the best practices for creating effective training in your organization.

What is a learning and development specialist?

A learning and development (L&D) specialist creates and implements an L&D plan with the goal of skilling and upskilling a company's employees. They are often responsible for providing foundational skills training to support the company's larger business goals and ensuring that employees continue strengthening their skills in response to technological developments.

Learning and development specialists can have different titles: they're sometimes called training and development specialists, corporate trainers, or training specialists. If you're interested in this career, it's helpful to enjoy working with others because interacting with colleagues and leaders at all stages will be a significant part of the work.

Learning and development responsibilities

At a broad level, L&D specialists may be tasked with examining a company's needs and creating a training plan that helps fulfill them. This may include collaborating with a team of colleagues to determine the best training format and create the program, presenting the program to stakeholders for approval, and then delivering the training.

Some general duties you may have as a L&D specialist include:  

• Consult with management and employees to determine an organization's training needs.

• Create manuals and other materials for employees to use for learning and training.

• Review and implement training materials and equipment from third parties.

• Present potential training programs to managers and other stakeholders for approval

• Deliver training programs through lectures, videos, exercises, and other mediums.

• Monitor and test the success of training programs and make adjustments as needed.

• Keep up with industry trends in training and development and integrate them as appropriate.  

• Handle the administrative duties associated with the training program, like scheduling, budgeting, and enrolling employees.

Learning and development specialist: salary + career outlook

Learning specialist salaries will differ depending on the size of the company you work for, your location, and your experience. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for this role is $64,340 [1].

The need for learning and development specialists will grow by 12 percent through 2033, which is much faster than average [1]. As companies implement new technology, employees will need to be upskilled, leading to increased demand for L&D professionals.  

How to become an L&D specialist

Requirements to become a learning and development specialist will vary, but you typically need a bachelor's degree. You will also need to develop specific human skills. 

Education requirements

Over 67 percent of learning and development specialists have a bachelor's degree, according to Zippia [2]. While you may not need a college degree to get started in this line of work, you may find that it becomes a requirement as you advance. If you're interested in learning and development, majors like business administration, psychology, communication, or education can be useful.  

You might also want to consider adding some related certifications to your resume. Although each employer may have unique requirements regarding the certifications they look for, some standard options include:

• Certified Professional in Training Development (CPTD)

• Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) Certified Professional

• Certified Professional in Training Management

Skills requirements

Communication skills are critical for learning and development specialists. After all, your ultimate job is communicating information to the employees of an organization so that it's clear and helpful. One day, you find yourself writing a manual to accompany training programs or specific processes you’re integrating into the workplace. Next, you could be giving a presentation to employees.

Other skills you need for this job include:

• Data analytics (or an ability to work with metrics)

• Analytical thinking

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Creativity  

• Teaching 

• Leadership  

• Project management

Learning and development specialist career path 

Beginning as an L&D specialist can require anywhere from 1-3 years of experience along with a bachelor's degree. As you advance, you can consider the following titles, expanding to become an L&D manager or to move into other managerial roles in human resources.

• Learning and development manager

• Human resources manager

• Operations manager

• Director of learning and development

• Director of human resources

Build your learning & development skills on Coursera

You'll find several opportunities to build specific L&D skills and related skills important for succeeding in this role on Coursera. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Get comfortable with the subject matter in the HCRI course Learning and Development.

• Gain a deeper understanding of important learning theories in the University of Illinois course Learning, Knowledge, and Human Development.

• Develop your leadership skills with the HR-focused Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization from Macquarie University.