US News and World Report named Training Specialist as one of the 50 top careers for 2011 in the business category. The headline says that training will continue to see “strong growth over the next decade.”

By 2018 jobs will increase by 23% for trainers.

I have several theories about why training will continue to be a hot career.

1. As the aging workforce retires, new people will need to be trained for those positions. Leadership, executive training, and coaching will see exponential growth in the coming decades.
2. As the economy improves many workers will change companies, jobs, or even careers. As this happens we’ll see an increased need for onboarding as well as basic skills training in nearly every industry.
3. As technology continues to have huge impacts on the way we work and play,  training is needed to not only teach workers how to use the technology but how to best utilize the technology to interact with clients and customers. Who would have thought five or even two years ago that Facebook would be a corporate communications tool. Additionally social networking tools have created new mediums for trainers to work in.
4. Skills possessed by trainers transfer to other industries. Once you know the principles of instructional design and learner-centered training, you can develop training for any organization.
5. Training is fun and rewarding. Training is one of those jobs where you feel good at the end of the day. You know you’ve made a difference, and it’s an awesome feeling to watch employees’ skills and talents grow.

I’d love to hear from you. What do you love about training, and what are your predictions for the future of the industry?