Annual Salary
£19,000 to £36,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Design or Fashion & textiles or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Community development workers help improve their local area.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; flexibly
There will be
4% more Community development worker jobs in 2027.
In this role you could:
You could work in the community or in an office.
You can get into this job through:
You can become a community development worker if you have a foundation degree or degree in any subject.
You might find it useful to have a foundation degree or a degree in:
Most community development courses include work placements to help you build up your experience.
You'll usually need:
A college course may help you apply for a trainee development worker job.
You could take a level 2 or 3 certificate in community development or a level 4 higher national certificate in social and community work.
If you want to help the community with health issues, you may be able to do a public health practitioner degree apprenticeship.
If you do this apprenticeship, you could work for organisations like charities, the NHS or local authorities. You'll help people in communities live long, healthy and happy lives.
You'll usually need:
Another way to become a community development worker is to volunteer for local projects. You'll usually receive some training. You may also get to take an introductory part time college course.
You can find opportunities working or volunteering:
Your experience and training as a volunteer could help you to find paid work. You can find volunteer opportunities on Do It and My Community.
You'll need to:
It's important to have experience that shows you're interested in community work.
Many people have experience in other jobs before they become a community development worker. This means you may have an advantage if you've previously worked in areas like teaching, youth work or healthcare.
You can get more details about working in community development from locality.
You can look for job opportunities on sites like:Local Government Jobs; Jobs Go Public; Third Sector Jobs
With experience you could:specialise in a certain issue, like health, homelessness or youth work; work with different issues and groups; manage a team of community development works; move into a role where you decide community policies; work as a freelance trainer or consultant;
Community Development Workers are needed in the West of England to work with local communities, volunteers and organisations to protect, improve and create new green spaces for all to enjoy.
There are several different routes you can take to get into working in community development which you can explore further in the 'Routes into this job' section above.
Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.
Click here to find a local provider
Click here to search for a local apprenticeship
Click here to search for other university courses
For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.
Volunteering is a great way to build experience and may improve your chances of finding paid work. You can also build up contacts within conservation, which will be useful when looking for jobs. You can find local volunteering opportunities with: Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and Avon Wildlife Trust.
Click here to see a profile of Sophie Laggan, Research Fellow in UWE Bristol - Department of Geography and Environmental Management.
You'll need: