Training and development adviser: job description

Training and development adviser : Salaries | Employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Training and development advisers work with managers and staff to identify the training that staff need to do their jobs and progress in their careers. In some organisations, training and development advisers are part of the HR team; in others, they work with organisational development teams or directly with leaders as business partners. In smaller organisations, the role may be combined with other tasks.

Typical duties include:

• conducting training needs analysis surveys and research.
• liaising with managers and interviewing employees at all levels to identify and assess training and development needs.
• making business cases for new training programmes to align with organisational goals.
• responding to queries from staff about training.
• commissioning training materials from external suppliers.
• working with managers and colleagues to develop and design training materials that meet the needs of both.
• managing budgets for training.
• facilitating workshops.
• evaluating the effectiveness of training and reporting on this to managers.
• ensuring training materials are accurate and up to date.
• working with learning management systems to upload online learning materials, evaluate completion and troubleshoot problems.
• ensuring employees receive statutory required training.
• keeping up to date with trends in research into learning and learning technology.

Graduate salaries

Salary survey websites suggest that starting salaries for training and development advisers tend to be around £22,000. Earnings increase as you build experience of different training formats (for example, designing elearning modules) and learning management systems, and can show evidence of the effectiveness of learning you have commissioned or developed.

Typical employers of training and development advisers

• Local authorities.
• Retailers.
• Manufacturers.
• Central government.
• Industrial organisations.
• Engineering firms.
• Media and entertainment companies.
• Educational institutions.
• IT firms.
• Financial organisations.
• Professional services firms.
• Banks.
• Charities.

Almost all organisations provide some kind of training for their staff. This could be formal professional development required by an external body, compliance training (where employees demonstrate they have understood legal requirements or company policies) or soft skills, such as communication or people management.

In large organisations, training is likely to be delivered by an online learning management system; in smaller organisations it may be more ad hoc and informal. This means that in a smaller organisation, you could work across many aspects of training, while in a large organisation you’re more likely to be able to specialise.

Jobs are advertised by careers services and specialist recruitment agencies. Professional bodies also advertise vacancies online, as do HR-related sites. You’ll also find jobs on local and national job sites.

Many HR graduate schemes include a rotation in training and development. These schemes can be competitive, so it’s advisable to apply early. To get you started, take a look at our list of employers who offer HR graduate training schemes .

Qualifications and training required

You can work in training and development with or without a degree. Graduates can have a degree in any subject, although education, business, human resources and psychology qualifications are often popular with recruiters. You can also enter this profession without a degree. You could undertake an apprenticeship or start in a junior role and work your way up.

Work experience will boost your job applications as many aspects of the role are practical (for example, facilitating workshops and designing learning materials). You can build experience through placements, vacation work or voluntary work. Teaching experience is also helpful – again, you could build this through voluntary work.

As you progress in your training and development career, you can work towards qualifications accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Key skills for training and development advisers

• The ability to work with people at all levels of an organisation.
• Effective organisational skills.
• Teamworking skills.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Writing, design and editing skills.
• The ability to learn new learning-related IT packages, such as learning management systems and elearning authoring tools.
• The ability to facilitate workshops.
• The ability to analyse data and report on your findings.

Head to our article on the skills and competencies required for a career in HR to find out more.