How specializing in learning & development will boost your career

Branching out to learning and development could pay off for your HR career this year, as analysts expect the niche to experience high demand. In 2013, American companies spent more on corporate learning then they had in seven years, with the average learning and development budget jumping 15%, according to Bersin.

• Organizations spent an average $1,169 per learner, but technology companies spent significantly more, at $1,847
• 35 cents of every training dollar went to leadership development, which took the largest share of training spending

For HR professionals, it’s a timely confirmation of predictions of job growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• The BLS expects job growth of 15% for L&D specialists by 2022, and 11% for L&D managers
• The 228,800 L&D specialists in the US have a median salary of $55,930, while the 28,600 managers have a median salary of $95,400

Much of the growth is happening as corporations take a stronger role in the development of their own training programs, says George Mason University’s associate dean for executive programs, Roy Hinton. “I’ve seen cycles in terms of in-house and outsources for learning and development. When the economy’s strong you tend to see more people pull it in-house, and I believe that is going on now,” he says.

In January, about 21,000 L&D specialist positions were advertised online, Wanted Analytics reported. Insurance agencies and brokerages had the most L&D positions open, followed by engineering services and general hospitals.

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