ICT trainer to instructional designer
An ICT trainer already meets 35% of what the instructional designer role asks for. The move turns on 26 required skills not yet in the profile.
73.3/ 100
1 How much of what an instructional designer is expected to do is already part of an ICT trainer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the instructional designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An instructional designer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an ICT trainer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply teaching strategies
- cognitive psychology
- create SCORM packages
- design web-based courses
- develop digital educational materials
- identify ICT user needs
What stands in the way is 26 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An instructional designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT trainer background worth leading with.
- already held create SCORM packages management skills
- already held instructional design models education
- already held learning management systems business, administration and law
- already held Absorb (learning management systems) information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held Brightspace (learning management systems) information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held Canvas (learning management systems) information and communication technologies (icts)
All 26 carried skills, including the 10 the instructional designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply ICT terminology required
- still to learn conduct educational activities required
- still to learn create script for artistic production required
- still to learn teach writing required
- still to learn proofread text required
- still to learn provide written content required
- still to learn translate requirements into visual design required
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- still to learn provide multimedia content required
- still to learn translate requirement concepts into content required
- still to learn use markup languages required
- still to learn use scripting programming required
- still to learn apply tools for content development required
- still to learn conduct content quality assurance required
- still to learn develop digital content required
- still to learn standards for web-based e-learning required
- still to learn web programming required
- still to learn authoring software required
- still to learn task algorithmisation required
- optional, not held AJAX optional
- optional, not held JavaScript optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- still to learn compile content required
- still to learn identify customer requirements required
- still to learn manage content metadata required
- still to learn structure information required
- still to learn publishing strategy required
- still to learn content development processes required
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- still to learn manage content development projects required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an instructional designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply ICT terminology practise this
- 02 conduct educational activities practise this
- 03 create script for artistic production practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 26 skills that carry over
- already held apply teaching strategies skill
- already held cognitive psychology knowledge
- already held create SCORM packages skill
- already held design web-based courses skill
- already held develop digital educational materials skill
- already held identify ICT user needs skill
- already held identify training needs skill
- already held instructional design models knowledge
- already held learning management systems knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held Absorb (learning management systems) knowledge
- already held Brightspace (learning management systems) knowledge
- already held Canvas (learning management systems) knowledge
- already held Edmodo knowledge
- already held Engrade knowledge
- already held Grovo knowledge
- already held LAMS knowledge
- already held Litmos knowledge
- already held Moodle knowledge
- already held Sakai knowledge
- already held Schoology knowledge
- already held Taleo knowledge
- already held WizIQ knowledge
- already held give live presentation skill
- already held keep up-to-date with training subjects skill
- already held perform ICT troubleshooting skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn instructional strategies required
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held AJAX optional
- optional, not held JavaScript optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
19 held skills the instructional designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess employees' capability levels skill
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role coach clients skill
- not needed by the target role create training materials skill
- not needed by the target role deliver online training skill
- not needed by the target role develop a coaching style skill
- not needed by the target role develop learning curriculum skill
- not needed by the target role digital systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role e-learning knowledge
- not needed by the target role e-learning software infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate training skill
- not needed by the target role learning technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role online moderation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role set up cybersecurity training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role technology education knowledge
- not needed by the target role training subject expertise knowledge
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn instructional strategies required
- still to learn publishing strategy required
- still to learn standards for web-based e-learning required
- still to learn web programming required
- still to learn authoring software required
- still to learn content development processes required
- still to learn task algorithmisation required
- optional, not held AJAX optional
- optional, not held JavaScript optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT trainer become an instructional designer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT trainer already covers 35% of what an instructional designer is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 10 of which the instructional designer role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT trainer need to become an instructional designer?
26 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply ICT terminology.
How hard is the move from ICT trainer to instructional designer?
Its learning distance is 73.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.