Instructional Designer And Trainer Vs Training Specialist

The differences between instructional designer and trainers and training specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instructional designer and trainer and a training specialist. Additionally, a training specialist has an average salary of $77,231, which is higher than the $65,072 average annual salary of an instructional designer and trainer.

The top three skills for an instructional designer and trainer include instructional design, subject matter experts and blended learning. The most important skills for a training specialist are customer service, training programs, and training materials.

Instructional designer and trainer vs training specialist overview

Instructional Designer And TrainerTraining Specialist
Yearly Salary$65,072$77,231
Hourly rate$31.28$37.13
Growth Rate7%8%
Number Of Jobs70,22261,581
Job Satisfaction--
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average Age4444
Years Of Experience44

What does an Instructional Designer And Trainer do?

Instructional designers are in charge of redesigning the courses, developing the entire curriculum, and creating all instructional mediums, including handouts, presentation materials, participant guides, and job aids. They typically evaluate training, as well as assess what was learned and check if learning solutions led to quantifiable behavior improvements. Also, the design and rebuild both new and traditional learning models. Additionally, they execute feedback from program reviews, teach others how to convey the learning material, and research new changes in both learning design and education.

What does a training specialist do?

As the name entails, training specialists are the ones who design and perform training programs that will foster employees' workplace performance and align with the core values of an organization. They have varied responsibilities, including identifying employee training needs, preparing teaching plans and developing an annual training program, and turning requirements into training to aid employees in their career development. They are also responsible for implementing training courses, staying up-to-date on the new tools and trends in employee development, and evaluating existing programs periodically.

Instructional designer and trainer vs training specialist salary

Instructional designer and trainers and training specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Instructional Designer And TrainerTraining Specialist
Average Salary$65,072$77,231
Salary RangeBetween $48,000 And $87,000Between $53,000 And $110,000
Highest Paying CityGermantown, MDDallas, TX
Highest Paying StateConnecticutNew Jersey
Best Paying CompanyAppleCoreLogic
Best Paying IndustryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between instructional designer and trainer and training specialist education

There are a few differences between an instructional designer and trainer and a training specialist in terms of educational background:

Instructional Designer And TrainerTraining Specialist
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most Common MajorBusinessBusiness
Most Common CollegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Instructional designer and trainer vs training specialist demographics

Here are the differences between instructional designer and trainers' and training specialists' demographics:

Instructional Designer And TrainerTraining Specialist
Average Age4444
Gender RatioMale, 42.5% Female, 57.5%Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage16%12%

Differences between instructional designer and trainer and training specialist duties and responsibilities

Instructional Designer And Trainer Example Responsibilities.

  • Develop PowerPoint presentations to support instructor lead courses and other training documentation including job aids, and business process procedures.
  • Work with clients through all ISD phases to ensure customer needs are met.
  • Coordinate and execute changes to existing ISD products using analysis and change criteria.
  • Utilize a variety of communication venues: email, SharePoint web portal pages, and hard copies.
  • Interview SMEs to establish technical specifications for document development.
  • Research instructional technology trends, implement multimedia enhancements, update HTML coding.
  • Show More

Training Specialist Example Responsibilities.

  • Instruct representatives on how to maximize functionality of relational database to effectively manage their sales territories and expenses.
  • Develop training manuals and PowerPoint presentations for assign training projects using the ADDIE instructional design method.
  • Work as a technical trainer for undergraduate students for subjects such as JAVA, SQL, HTML and CSS.
  • Establish information technology help desk by developing reference tools and processes necessary to troubleshoot issues.
  • Train skilled operators to set-up, troubleshoot, and maintain several types of highly automate manufacturing equipment.
  • Develop corporate standards for software documentation, including standardization of job aids, PowerPoint presentations, and manuals.
  • Show More

Instructional designer and trainer vs training specialist skills

Common Instructional Designer And Trainer Skills
  • Instructional Design, 8%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 7%
  • Blended Learning, 5%
  • Training Programs, 5%
  • Training Materials, 5%
  • Led Training, 4%
Common Training Specialist Skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Training Programs, 9%
  • Training Materials, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Training Sessions, 5%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 5%

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