Training and Development Specialists
In short: today's best AI models could do about 43% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 64% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 36% of the time, stays with people.
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.
458,300 people do this job in the US. $69,280 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on6 h
- A person checks AI's work11 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet8 h
- Stays with people15 h
Training and Development Specialists, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 6 hours, 11 hours become checking its work, 8 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 15 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Evaluate delivery modes (about 4 h, a person checks); Develop course materials (about 3 h); Evaluate training effectiveness (about 2 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 58%
- 5%
- 21%
- 16%
- 0%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 43% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 43%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.14% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 135th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 3 of its 20 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.06% to 0.027% (released February and March 2025); 0.025% to 0.043% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.15% to 0.14% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.06% | 246 of 708 | 5 of 20 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.027% | 374 of 703 | 4 of 20 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.025% | 343 of 655 | 5 of 20 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.038% | 278 of 672 | 4 of 20 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.043% | 268 of 677 | 5 of 20 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.15% | 130 of 434 | 3 of 20 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.14% | 135 of 447 | 3 of 20 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates almost none of this job's working time as physical work, so robots do not reach it.
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
36% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Teach with varied methods, the in-person work, 10%
- Assess training needs, the conversation, 6%
- Design and run training programs, the conversation, 5%
- Deliver skills training programs, the in-person work, 3%
- Recruit and place participants, the conversation, 3%
- Devise leadership development programs, the conversation, 2%
What becomes checking the machine
47% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 16% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Evaluate delivery modes, costly if wrong, 13%
- Design and run training programs, costly if wrong, 12%
- Redesign training that falls short, costly if wrong, 5%
- Devise leadership development programs, costly if wrong, 5%
- Evaluate training effectiveness, costly if wrong, 5%
- Assess training needs, costly if wrong, 4%
What to learn
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 58% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- The conversations. About 36% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design, plan, organize, or direct orientation and training programs for employees or customers.Designing the program on paper and coordinating the people who deliver it.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 17% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Documents 70%, conversation 30% | 22%Desk part half by Mar 2027 |
| Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.Comparing in-person and virtual options on results and cost, on paper.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Documents 100% | 80%Half by now |
| Assess training needs through surveys, interviews with employees, focus groups, or consultation with managers, instructors, or customer representatives.Interviews, focus groups and surveys, then the analysis.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 10% | 1.3 work days2.5 h to 3.1 work days | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 17%Desk part half by Dec 2026 |
| Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.Running sessions in the room: exercises, discussions and lectures.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.Writing and assembling manuals, guides and handouts.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Documents 100% | 97%Half by now |
| Devise programs to develop executive potential among employees in lower-level positions.Designing the program on paper, with conversations about who takes part.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.3 work weeks | Documents 70%, conversation 30% | 14%Desk part half by May 2027 |
| Coordinate recruitment and placement of training program participants.Calls and emails to fill the program, and the enrollments entered.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | Systems 50%, conversation 50% | 42%Desk part half by now |
| Develop alternative training methods if expected improvements are not seen.Working out a different approach from the results.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Documents 100% | 73%Half by now |
| Monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness.Reading results and feedback, and keeping the training records.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Documents 60%, systems 40% | 87%Half by now |
| Offer specific training programs to help workers maintain or improve job skills.Teaching sessions to groups of workers, with the preparation behind them.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | In person 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Keep up with developments in area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles.Reading journals and articles; the knowing is the trainer's own.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Negotiate contracts with clients for desired training outcomes, fees, or expenses.Talking terms with the client, with the contract drafted behind it.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Conversation 70%, documents 30% | 27%Desk part half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Training and Development Managers32% now, 88% by 2028
- Instructional Coordinators39% now, 68% by 2028
- Management Analysts37% now, 85% by 2028
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists21% now, 74% by 2028
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors29% now, 32% by 2028
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary40% now, 53% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Training and Development Specialists is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 43% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 64% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (61% to 64% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Training and Development Specialists come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Evaluate delivery modes (80% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); Develop course materials (97% of the task's time now); and Evaluate training effectiveness (87% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028).
- Which tasks of Training and Development Specialists stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Teach with varied methods; and Attend meetings and seminars. Together such tasks are about 12% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Training and Development Specialists learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are briefing a model and checking its drafts; reviewing work you did not do yourself; and the conversations. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 36% of the working time stays with people, 47% becomes checking a model's work and 16% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Training and Development Specialists?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.14% went to this job's tasks, the 135th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 3 of its 20 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 28%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Training and Development Specialists?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds almost none of the working time is physical work, so robots do not reach it.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 20 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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