Community education co-ordinator
Community education co-ordinators organise education, training and recreation courses to meet the needs of the local community.
- Starter salary£23,000 a year
- Experienced£32,000 a year
- Typical hours30 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a community education co-ordinator, you could:
- work with local groups to understand their needs and interests
- plan and develop learning projects with course providers
- recruit and support community volunteers
- organise suitable venues for workshops and classes
- promote activities and training courses
- keep records, control budgets and bid for funding
Working environment
You could work in an office, in the community, at a school or at a college.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- excellent verbal communication skills
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to work well with others
- a desire to help people
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to understand people's reactions
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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 could do a foundation degree or degree in a subject like:
- education
- sociology
- youth work
- community development
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could do a college course which might be useful when applying for a trainee job. Courses include:
- Level 2 Diploma in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community
- Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Social and Community Work
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could start by doing a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship as a:
- Youth Support Worker
- Cultural Learning and Participation Officer
- Learning and Development Practitioner
These apprenticeships can take around 1 year and 6 months to complete.
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
Volunteering
You could become a community education co-ordinator though volunteering.
Volunteering is a good way to get practical experience, meet new people and develop your network of contacts. This might help you when looking for a job in community education or development.
You can find volunteering opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do It .
Direct application
You could apply directly for community education co-ordinator jobs.
You'll need paid or voluntary experience of working in the community such as in:
- adult education
- teaching
- youth work
You'll also find it helpful to have experience of working with disadvantaged or vulnerable groups.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- become a manager and get involved in developing policy
- specialise in working with particular groups or types of training
- become freelance and do consultancy work
- move into related areas like adult education, social work, teaching or charity work
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleCommunity development worker
- Job roleEnglish as a foreign language (EFL) teacher
- Job roleFurther education teacher
- Job roleYouth worker
- Job roleSecondary school teacher
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