Best Corporate Training and Development Certifications for 2024

Corporate training and development certifications

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, corporate training and development specialists earn a median income of $63,080 per year, or just over $30 per hour. Training and development managers can expect median earnings of more than $120,000 per year, with the top tier receiving over $200,000.

While researching training and development certifications, we found that most employers look for a combination of human resources and training-based certifications. Below, you’ll find the certifications most commonly requested by employers for training and development job roles.

Best human resources certifications

Human resources-related certifications focus on the wide range of aptitudes found in these roles. Core competencies learned and certified in these trainings include knowledge management, training delivery and facilitation, change management, logistics, and business strategy. 

Many of these certifications are iterative, helping to showcase knowledge and capabilities as individuals grow in their careers. These certifications can help individuals break into working in HR or advance to higher positions. Some of our favorite trainings include: 

• ATD: Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
• HRCI: Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
• HRCI: Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
• SHRM: Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
• SHRM: Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

Best sales certifications 

Sales is the epitome of a people-person career. Certifications in sales can’t teach the necessary personality traits to excel in the field. However, certifications are generally vendor neutral and can help reinforce and teach the necessary technical skills, like ways to identify buyers and create sales strategies.

While many sales job descriptions now call for a bachelor’s degree, there are still plenty of employers that accept some combination of work experience or certification in lieu of a degree. Employers look for candidates who are highly productive and have the drive to increase company profits. A certification helps prove that you’re willing to go above and beyond to achieve goals. 

Some of our favorite sales certifications include: 

• Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP)
• Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP)
• HubSpot Inbound Sales
• RISE Up: Retail Industry Fundamentals

Best CRM certifications

Customer relationship management (CRM) takes customer service to another level. Modern CRM software uses technology and automation to find and interact with leads and customers. Leveraging CRM software can help a company engage with its customers to build trust and provide necessary products and services.

Current CRM certification courses are available through academic institutions, professional affiliates and massive open online courses. Topics can include CRM optimization, automation, marketing strategies, product management, business to business (B2B), business to consumer (B2C) and networking. Some of our favorite certifications include: 

• Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM)
• Adobe Marketo Engage Professional
• Salesforce Administrator
• Zendesk Support Administrator
• Zoho Certified Consultant

Best help desk certifications

Technical support and help desk positions are traditional entry points for IT professionals navigating their career paths. Help-desk certifications tend to focus on two areas: overarching help desk functions and job roles or technical support skills with an emphasis on specific vendor platforms or products.

Earning a respected help desk certification can help IT professionals stand out, validate valuable knowledge and skills, and demonstrate their willingness to learn to employers and hiring managers. In these cases, help desk certifications can help start, and lay the foundation for, a long career in  IT. Some of our favorite help desk certifications include: 

• CompTIA A+ 
• Apple Certified Support Professional
• HDI-CSR: HDI Customer Service Representative
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate

Best project management certifications

Project management certifications are among the most sought-after tech credentials. Project management certifications enhance and expand other IT qualifications and add to a professional’s skill set.

Project management involves planning, scheduling, budgeting, executing and reporting on various projects. In the IT realm, events such as hardware and operating system upgrades, platform migrations, security patches, software updates, and maintenance tasks are considered “projects,” so project management is incredibly important. Some of our favorite certifications in this space include: 

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)
• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)

Best PEO accreditations

Professional employer organizations (PEOs) can offload some HR-related tasks, as well as prove to be extremely successful organizations in which to work. There are hundreds of PEOs offering thousands of services to small businesses nationwide. Finding the right organization to work with, or for, is critical to success. 

Accreditations are one of the easiest, and most trustworthy, ways of picking a PEO. While there are many PEOs throughout the United States, only some are accredited by top PEO accreditation agencies. These agencies rigorously review PEOs and their services on a yearly basis to ensure that services are up to par.

The following are our top PEO accreditation picks: 

• ESAC
• IRS
• Certification Institute

Certifications offer many ways to advance your career

The certifications above offer just a few ways to gain important training and skills development that can advance your career in the direction you want to grow. Whether you’re looking to directly train employees as an HR professional, manage projects and keep your team running effectively day in and day out, or drive more sales for your company, the corporate training and development programs above can help you stand out from the crowd. 

Natalie Hamingson contributed to this article.