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Boston Career Explorer

Business and Financial Operations

Training and Development Specialists

Design or conduct work-related training and development programs to improve individual skills or organizational performance. May analyze organizational training needs or evaluate training effectiveness.

Also called: Computer Training Specialist, Corporate Trainer, Job Training Specialist, Leadership Development Specialist, Learning and Development Consultant, Learning and Development Specialist (L and D Specialist)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$83,800
$40.29/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
9,360
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+10.1%
1,160 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
Less than 5 years of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$46,420$61,090$83,800$120,160$132,240

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.
  • Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.
  • Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.
  • Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills.
  • Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, or consultation with managers, instructors, or customer representatives.
  • Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure87 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 80
  • Language-model AIOE 88
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 92

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

Training and development specialists have higher AI exposure, and AI tools are already used substantially in this kind of work. Tools can help draft handouts, guides, and course materials, and help organize survey results. Leading role plays, group discussions, and live sessions, and talking with employees and managers, still rely on people. Federal projections note that demand for ongoing training may grow as technology like AI advances.

Likely to change

  • Drafting manuals, guides, and course materials
  • Organizing training needs survey results

Still relies on people

  • Leading role plays and group discussions
  • Interviewing employees and consulting with managers

What federal projections say

“Demand change - share increases as demand for continuous training increases due to accelerating technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) in the labor market.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    Your skill leading groups with lectures, discussions, and demonstrations carries over directly. This move has lower AI exposure and a higher Boston median pay of $101,250.

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  • General and Operations Managers

    Judging whether training improves performance helps you review results and find improvements. This role has lower AI exposure and a Boston median pay of $133,800.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

10 programs near Boston (plus 13 graduate)

Related occupations

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