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Instructional designer and trainer vs technical trainer

The differences between instructional designer and trainers and technical trainers 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 technical trainer. Additionally, an instructional designer and trainer has an average salary of $65,072, which is higher than the $59,991 average annual salary of a technical 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 technical trainer are A+, customer service, and training materials.

Instructional designer and trainer vs technical trainer overview

Instructional Designer And TrainerTechnical Trainer
Yearly salary$65,072$59,991
Hourly rate$31.28$28.84
Growth rate7%8%
Number of jobs70,222107,486
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
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 technical trainer do?

A technical trainer is responsible for guiding the employees with the company's technical operation processes by designing a comprehensive computer and systems training. Other duties include helping the organization to boost efficiency and maximize productivity in meeting clients' demands and achieving their satisfaction. Technical trainers maintain an engaging and active class environment, conducting practical assessments both for individual and group works. They should also be highly-knowledgeable with the business' procedures, as well as having excellent communication skills to respond to the employees' inquiries and concerns accurately.

Instructional designer and trainer vs technical trainer salary

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

Instructional Designer And TrainerTechnical Trainer
Average salary$65,072$59,991
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $87,000Between $39,000 And $91,000
Highest paying CityGermantown, MDSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleGoogle
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between instructional designer and trainer and technical trainer education

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

Instructional Designer And TrainerTechnical Trainer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Instructional designer and trainer vs technical trainer demographics

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

Instructional Designer And TrainerTechnical Trainer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 42.5% Female, 57.5%Male, 62.3% Female, 37.7%
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, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage16%12%

Differences between instructional designer and trainer and technical trainer 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

Technical trainer example responsibilities.

  • Instruct representatives on how to maximize functionality of relational database to effectively manage their sales territories and expenses.
  • Design and install SharePoint solution for document collaboration and tracking sales leads, student enrollments and student academic records.
  • Utilize windows and web base resources
  • Utilize Visio software tool to create workflow projects/diagrams.
  • Support onsite and in-house technical solutions for projects.
  • Assist in the testing and maintenance of the EHR application.
  • Show more

Instructional designer and trainer vs technical trainer 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 technical trainer skills
  • A+, 43%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Training Materials, 5%
  • Training Sessions, 3%
  • PowerPoint, 3%
  • Training Courses, 3%

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