How to Become a Human Resources Training Manager

Are you interested in a career in the field of human resources? If so, you may want to consider a job as a human resources training manager. This rewarding career gives you the opportunity to work with a variety of people and prepare them for the jobs they will do at a company, business or organization. More and more companies are focusing on the employee development of their staff, and you can work one-on-one with employees or training large groups as a training manager. Consider some of the basics of becoming a successful human resources training manager.

Job duties

Creating training programs

One of the main duties of a human resources training manager is to create programs that help employees to develop the skills and garner the knowledge they need to perform well in their job positions. If a human resources training manager creates a solid program of training for employees, it provides the company or organization with a group of effective, efficient employees. In turn, this leads to a better overall performance by the company.

Implementing program tracking

Another duty of a human resources training manager is to oversee the supervisors who are delivering this training program to the employees. Naturally, after making a first-rate training program, you want it to be delivered in a clear way to employees. Are the supervisors explaining each part of the training program so it’s easily understandable? Are employees making the progress that they should in the program? These are things a human resources training manager must keep an eye on as employees go through the training program. If anything needs to be adjusted or changed within the training program, this professional makes those changes to improve the quality of the lessons.

Finding resources

An additional duty of this professional is to find the resources that will be most useful in employee training programs. These resources may include videos, books, industry publications, visual aids and more. A human resources training manager must be able to determine the learning tools that will contribute to the understanding of employees in the program. Some training programs use a variety of resources while others stick with specific types of learning tools. It all depends on what type of training program it is.

Budgeting

Adhering to the training budget of the company is an essential duty for any human resources training manager. Of course, the employees must be trained in a thorough way. But, the program should also be cost effective for the company itself. This professional uses the training budget in the best possible way, and therefore is usually a part of annual planning discussions to determine which tools and resources they can use for their team for the year. They will often evaluate what is currently used for pricing and effectiveness, look at metrics and success rates of current initiatives, and make budgeting decisions for staffing and programming based on allowable spend and projections for growth.

Talent management

Not only to training managers work with the employees within an organization, they also work with prospective employees by coordinating and communicating with HR hiring managers and recruiters on their needs, what it takes to be a successful employee, and even the pitfalls of the job. This helps recruiters source the right candidates who will last in the role. Training and development is a costly endeavor for any organization, regardless of size, and this cost can be lessened if the right people are brought in to the company in the first place.

Requirements to become a HR Training Manager

Bachelor’s degree

A bachelor’s degree is a requirement for this career. A bachelor’s degree in human resources is best. But, there are other degrees that can be helpful in this type of work such as a bachelor’s degree in business administration, psychology or education. If a person goes into this job with another type of bachelor’s degree, then he or she will likely receive additional education including online courses or on-the-job training to be ready for the work.

Advanced degrees

Some human resources training manager positions require a professional to earn or be working toward, a master’s degree in human resources. There are also a lot of training managers who hold MBSs, Master’s in Management (MM) and even Adult Education and Training degrees. A master’s degree gives a person even more skills and knowledge regarding employee training. You’ll learn statistics, which are crucial for employee performance improvement, how to build successful and scalable training modules, and even sometimes things such as public speaking and organizational change, depending on your type of degree. Earning a master’s degree in human resources shows a person’s dedication to being successful in the work.

Skills and abilities

There are many personal traits that can help an individual find success in this career. One example is the ability to communicate with people in an objective way. Also, the ability to phrase things in a way that is easily understandable by most people. This can help the professional as he or she works to develop an effective training program. Organizational skills are also useful to someone in this career. The material contained in training manuals and packets must be organized in a way that makes sense. Plus, this professional deals with a lot of employee records, emails, memos and other documents which must be kept in a well-ordered system. In all, training managers must be:

  • Direct
  • Organized
  • Communicative
  • Good at the written word
  • Open to feedback
  • Engaging personality
  • Fun (this one is nice to have)

You don’t have to have the most outgoing personality to be a training manager, but you should at least be comfortable interacting with a diverse group of people, taking the lead when others are too shy to do the same, and able to speak in front of large groups, either in person or on a web conference.

Work experience

It is not likely that you can step into a role of training manager with little to no experience. Typically, you have to rise up the ranks in human resources, starting first as a training specialist, then as a team lead, then apply for and earn your management role. It is common for a training manager to have at least five to ten years of experience as a trainer before becoming a manager.

Continuing education

A huge part of corporate training is continuing education. After all, if we expect our employees to continue learning, trainers and training managers must do the same. Training managers will often attend trainings and seminars on leadership, time management, development and more, and in some cases, they will earn certifications that can be applied to the role. For example, a training manager might get a special diversity training certification and then bring the diversity training back to their company.

Training Manager salaries

Employment factors

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary of a human resources training manager was $108,250 in 2017. The salary for this professional can vary depending on where the person works. For example, a human resources training manager working for a large corporation with many satellite offices is likely to earn a higher salary than someone working in this job for a small, private company. A large company will be able to pay more and the professional will have more responsibility.

Experience factors

A second factor that affects the salary of a human resources training manager is the person’s experience. Someone who has been working in this profession for ten years is going to earn more money than someone who is just starting out in the career. This is often referred to as entry-level, mid career, or senior. Also, an individual’s educational background plays a role in the salary for this job. Someone who has gone to workshops to garner more skills as a training manager and is working toward their master’s degree merits a higher salary than someone with just a bachelor’s degree, a few extra courses and a couple years of experience in the job.

A career as a human resources training manager is both professionally and personally rewarding. You get to witness the growth of a company knowing that it is partly due to your quality employee training programs. Also, you have the opportunity to see employees flourish in their job positions because of the effective training they’ve received. What you do in your work contributes to the strong foundation of an expanding company, business or organization.