Professional and Management Development Training

The 7,700 professional and management development training companies provide continuing education, training, and career development programs through short courses and seminars. While training programs help clients learn specific knowledge or skills to improve performance in a current role, development programs focus on growth and future performance. Common areas of training and development include general management; technical knowledge and skills; leadership; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); environmental, social, and governance (ESG); executive education; certification; and soft skills.

Dependence on Client Industry Performance and Economic Conditions

Demand for professional and management development training is dependent on the financial health of client industries, which is driven by general business and economic conditions.

Applying Technology to Leadership Training

Technology has helped elevate training platforms and improved engagement in management development initiatives.

Jul 7, 2026 - Many Organizations' Training Programs Considered Ineffective

• Three out of four organizations rate their own leadership training programs as "not very effective," according to Inc.com. Only 18% of organizations say that their leaders are highly effective at achieving business goals. This is despite the fact that global corporate spending on leadership training is projected to increase by $31 billion between 2025 and 2029, adding to the roughly $366 billion already spent annually. Many leadership development programs may not be very effective because 60% of first-time managers receive zero training when they step into their first leadership role, according to the Center for Creative Leadership. Gartner confirms that 60% of those managers fail within 24 months.
• More than 90% of managers said that they lack time to participate in manager development programs, according to the Association for Talent Development. About 63% said being a manager is more difficult than they anticipated, and more than half said their organization provided little or no training to prepare. High-performing organizations were more likely to use pre- and post-training activities, as well as bite-sized learning options. OF the 53% of organizations that offered post-training activities, most provided access to a resource library on manager skills. These libraries tended to include articles, job aids, videos and other tools to reinforce learning.
• Google has entered the leadership development sector with a new course offering its management training to the public. The program, called People Management Essentials, was developed by The Google School for Leaders. It is designed to help aspiring and early-career managers build high-performing teams. Google said that the course arrives as global search interest in "best leadership practices" has increased 300% over the past year. Searches for "AI leadership" are up 390%, and "how to lead a team" reached an all-time high in September 2025.
• Professional and management development training industry sales are forecast to grow at a 4.62% compounded annual rate from 2026 to 2030, faster than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Professional and management development training industry employment decreased to January 2026 levels after increasing slightly during the first three months of the year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Industry size & Structure

The average professional and management development training company operates out of a single location, employs about 8 workers, and generates $1.8 million annually.

• The professional and management development training industry consists of over 7,700 firms that employ about 62,800 workers and generate over $13.7 billion annually.

• The industry is fragmented with the top 50 companies accounting for about 30% of industry revenue.

• Firms that generate less than $1 million account for almost 45% of the industry. Firms that generate $10 million or more account for more than 38% of the industry revenue

• The industry includes a broad range of players, from multinational firms that serve Fortune 500 companies to executive coaches that work one-on-one with clients.

• Large firms include Dale Carnegie, Skillsoft, and Franklin Covey. The Federal Executive Institute (FEI) within the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is a government organization that provides leadership development programs for government agencies.

• About 20% of firms are tax-exempt organizations. About 4% of establishments are franchises.