User:Dougharward/Training industry

The training industry includes suppliers and training professionals all around the globe who provide instructional design, development, delivery and administration of training services to corporations, non-profit organizations, and individuals. There are more than 600,000 professionals in North America involved in providing training related services to businesses and individuals. It is estimated that there are more than 6000 training companies in North America alone. Because there is no worldwide society, or trade association of training companies, it is difficult to know just how many training professionals and companies there are around the globe.

When speaking of the training industry, we generally do not include academic institutions although the activities of online colleges, community colleges, and business schools have moved into providing corporate related training services. In 2009, TrainingIndustry.com sized the North American training marketplace at approximately $126 billion.

ASTD, or the American Society for Training and Development, is the world's largest professional association for training and development professionals.