Youth and Community Worker

Youth and community workers encourage people to develop socially, personally and educationally. They work mainly with young people, while community workers work with other groups. In Scotland, community education workers are responsible for youth work, community work and adult education.
Youth workers may be employed to work in a club or centre organising activities such as sports, drama and educational activities. These activities are used to provide guidance in an informal way to young people. They could also be involved in group discussions or offer individual counselling.
The work requires them to work closely with the police, social workers, teachers, probation officers and other agencies.
Full-time youth and community workers usually work a 35 to 37-hour week. The workplace could be a youth club, community centre, school, further education college, Connexions centre or neighbourhood office. Most jobs involve local travel.
Salaries range from around £14,000 to £28,000 a year.
A youth and community worker should:

• be able to communicate with a wide range of people
• be emotionally mature and sensitive
• have a wide range of interests or skills in things like health, sports, arts, technology and film-making.

Youth and community workers are employed by a range of organisations, including local authorities, the Connexions Service, voluntary organisations such as the YMCA or Barnardo's, and local community organisations.
People who want to become full-time youth and community workers normally need to do a professional training course. The entry requirements vary, but applicants under 21 may need A levels/H grades and GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), or equivalent qualifications. Relevant experience is also usually required.
Most entrants are adults with relevant experience and a qualification such as a DipHE in Community Youth Work.
There may be opportunities to move into managerial posts or into specialist work (with young offenders, for example).