Community education co-ordinator
Community education co-ordinators make sure education, training and recreation courses meet the needs of the local community.
Salary range: £23,000 to £42,000
How to become a community education co-ordinator
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- volunteering
- applying directly
University
You’ll find it useful to have a foundation degree or degree in a subject like:
- education
- sociology
- youth and community development
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More information
- equivalent entry requirements
- student finance for fees and living costs
- university courses and entry requirements
College
You could take a college course, which may help when applying for a trainee job. Courses include:
- Level 2 and 3 Certificate in Community Development
- Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Social and Community Work
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More information
Apprenticeship
You could start by doing an advanced apprenticeship in youth work, learning and development or community arts management.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More information
Volunteering and experience
Volunteering is a good way to build up contacts and can help you to get work in community education or development. You can find volunteering opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Do-it.
Direct application
You can apply directly for jobs if you’ve got paid or voluntary experience of working in the community. For example, in adult education, teaching or youth work. Experience of working with disadvantaged or vulnerable groups will also be helpful.
More information
Further information
You can get more details about working in the community from your local council and locality.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You’ll need:
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to understand people’s reactions
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with others
- knowledge of psychology
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and requirements
You’ll need to:
What you’ll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- working with local groups and finding out their needs and interests
- planning ways to meet needs
- encouraging course providers to develop new learning opportunities
- working with local schools, colleges and community centres to arrange places and times for courses
- preparing and giving out information to the community
- helping overcome barriers to learning
- helping recruit tutors
- organising training for volunteers
- making sure targets are met
- administrative work – you may have an assistant to help with this
- controlling budgets and bidding for funding (at a senior level)
Working environment
You could work in an office, in the community, at a school or at a college.
Career path and progression
With experience you could move into management.
You could specialise in working with particular groups, training, or move into consultancy work.
You could also move into community development work.