How To Become An Employment Specialist/Program Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an employment specialist/program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an employment specialist/program manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.61 an hour? That's $38,702 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 52,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreEmployment Specialist/Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,702

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.25%

Asian 4.58%

Black or African American 16.30%

Hispanic or Latino 17.48%

Unknown 5.26%

White 54.13%

Gender

female 61.70%

male 38.30%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an employment specialist/program manager

Explore employment specialist/program manager education requirements

Most common employment specialist/program manager degrees

Bachelor's

60.0 %

Master's

26.7 %

Associate

6.7 %

Start to develop specific employment specialist/program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Community Resources	86.54%
Developmental Disabilities	13.46%

Complete relevant employment specialist/program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New employment specialist/program managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an employment specialist/program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real employment specialist/program manager resumes.

Research employment specialist/program manager duties and responsibilities

Research and recommend various organizations and resources to communicate company opportunities to minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Assist clients with accessing WIA and OJT programs.
Coordinate the execution of continuing education and training programs such as WIA.
Present information about vocational rehabilitation to community.

Prepare your employment specialist/program manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your employment specialist/program manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an employment specialist/program manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable employment specialist/program manager resume templates

Build a professional employment specialist/program manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your employment specialist/program manager resume.