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The differences between workforce development specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a workforce development specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $43,666 average annual salary of a workforce development specialist.
The top three skills for a workforce development specialist include social services, training programs and HR. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Workforce Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $43,666 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $20.99 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 80,041 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Workforce development specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Workforce Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $43,666 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $66,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Roseville, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | - |
There are a few differences between a workforce development specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Workforce Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between workforce development specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Workforce Development Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |