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The differences between learning design specialists and trainer leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a learning design specialist and a trainer lead. Additionally, a learning design specialist has an average salary of $72,967, which is higher than the $72,175 average annual salary of a trainer lead.
The top three skills for a learning design specialist include blended learning, instructional design and subject matter experts. The most important skills for a trainer lead are customer service, product knowledge, and training materials.
| Learning Design Specialist | Trainer Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $72,967 | $72,175 |
| Hourly rate | $35.08 | $34.70 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 68,913 | 43,216 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A learning design specialist is responsible for creating instructional materials according to the learner's curriculum and evaluate existing educational resources for further improvements needed. Learning design specialists facilitate the development of educational software tools and technology and coordinate with the educators for testing. They also attend conferences and train instructors in utilizing learning materials. A learning design specialist must have excellent communication skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the learning practices, to recommend teaching methods based on the curriculum's standards.
As a training lead, you are responsible for overseeing a company's employee training and development activities. You are also expected to perform various tasks that may include identifying training needs for the organization, supervising trainers' work, and developing effective employee training programs. Other duties and responsibilities may be conducting a readiness assessment, maintaining training information, and coordinating and reviewing the logistics of training materials. Also, you are expected to organize safety training and develop conflict resolution modules and diversity appreciation.
Learning design specialists and trainer leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Learning Design Specialist | Trainer Lead | |
| Average salary | $72,967 | $72,175 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $91,000 | Between $46,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a learning design specialist and a trainer lead in terms of educational background:
| Learning Design Specialist | Trainer Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between learning design specialists' and trainer leads' demographics:
| Learning Design Specialist | Trainer Lead | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |