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The differences between learning design specialists 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 learning design specialist and a workforce development specialist. Additionally, a learning design specialist has an average salary of $72,967, which is higher than the $43,666 average annual salary of a workforce development specialist.
The top three skills for a learning design specialist include blended learning, instructional design and subject matter experts. The most important skills for a workforce development specialist are social services, training programs, and HR.
| Learning Design Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $72,967 | $43,666 |
| Hourly rate | $35.08 | $20.99 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 68,913 | 80,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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.
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.
Learning design specialists and workforce development specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Learning Design Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average salary | $72,967 | $43,666 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $91,000 | Between $28,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a learning design specialist and a workforce development specialist in terms of educational background:
| Learning Design Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between learning design specialists' and workforce development specialists' demographics:
| Learning Design Specialist | Workforce Development Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7% | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |