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Leadership development program vs workforce development specialist

The differences between leadership development programs and workforce development specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a leadership development program and a workforce development specialist. Additionally, a leadership development program has an average salary of $71,543, which is higher than the $43,666 average annual salary of a workforce development specialist.

The top three skills for a leadership development program include development programs, leadership development and rotational program. The most important skills for a workforce development specialist are social services, training programs, and HR.

Leadership development program vs workforce development specialist overview

Leadership Development ProgramWorkforce Development Specialist
Yearly salary$71,543$43,666
Hourly rate$34.40$20.99
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs108,21480,041
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a leadership development program do?

A leadership development program manager is an individual who is responsible for implementing and developing an employee leadership program for an organization. As part of the organization's talent management and development strategies, managers must provide coaching to all levels of executives and managerial staff. They collaborate with professionals from marketing, quality management, and business development to represent corporate training initiatives with external customers. Managers must also create a talent pipeline framework by identifying leaders through executives.

What does a workforce development specialist do?

A workforce development specialist is responsible for designing and conducting training and development programs to significantly improve organizational and individual performance. You will perform a few duties that include evaluating training delivery modes, such as virtual or in-person to optimize training effectiveness and costs, developing, obtaining, or organizing training guides and procedure manuals, and coordinating the placement of trainees. As a workforce development specialist, you also have to choose and assign training instructors and negotiating contracts with clients.

Leadership development program vs workforce development specialist salary

Leadership development programs and workforce development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Leadership Development ProgramWorkforce Development Specialist
Average salary$71,543$43,666
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $115,000Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WARoseville, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Jersey
Best paying companyMicrosoftMeta
Best paying industryFinanceTransportation

Differences between leadership development program and workforce development specialist education

There are a few differences between a leadership development program and a workforce development specialist in terms of educational background:

Leadership Development ProgramWorkforce Development Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Leadership development program vs workforce development specialist demographics

Here are the differences between leadership development programs' and workforce development specialists' demographics:

Leadership Development ProgramWorkforce Development Specialist
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 57.8% Female, 42.2%Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between leadership development program and workforce development specialist duties and responsibilities

Leadership development program example responsibilities.

  • Manage a weekend of activities for alumni.
  • Manage the technical design documents such as technical design spec, XML schema definition, WDSL, and SAML integration interfaces.
  • Manage logistics relate data being input into databases.
  • Develop and lead cross-functional Kaizen event that identify and eliminate waste and improve communication in the yield signal investigation process.
  • Discuss improvements of aspire attributes of a leader and improvements on team management and the psychology of corporate leadership skills.
  • Create and present PowerPoint on leer certification to public.
  • Show more

Workforce development specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
  • Work cooperatively with community organizations to provide support and resources to TANF clients.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations for use with public speaking events.
  • Conduct employment verification (I9) and drug tests.
  • Market OJT services to public and private sector employers; prepare contract agreements between employers and employees.
  • Establish and maintain rapport with both prime contractors and their employees that are participating in the OJT program as trainees.
  • Show more

Leadership development program vs workforce development specialist skills

Common leadership development program skills
  • Development Programs, 13%
  • Leadership Development, 11%
  • Rotational Program, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Leadership, 5%
  • Leadership Program, 5%
Common workforce development specialist skills
  • Social Services, 9%
  • Training Programs, 8%
  • HR, 7%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Career Development, 6%
  • Supportive Services, 6%

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