Meet Josh, 24, from Norwich to find out more about life as a community cohesion officer. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
My name is Josh. I'm 24 years old and I'm a community cohesion officer.
I never thought I'd actually wind up in this job. I left school with two GCSEs so I looked into what I could potentially do with a limited amount of GCSEs. I studied a BTEC Level 2 in Sport. I ideally want to go into football coaching, but really I couldn't see myself getting employment in that industry. I was able to go onto a BTEC Level 3 Public Services course. From this course I was able to look at the police force, the army, the fire service and I was also looking into counterterrorism. All things which help keep our society safe. I moved on swiftly to studying a Masters degree in organised crime, terrorism and security. After completion, I thought that the job opportunities would kind of come to me. However, I wasn't able to get a job.
I had to look elsewhere. I volunteered in a college. After volunteering for six days, I was lucky enough to gain full time employment. For eight months, I was the designated safeguarding lead and a student coach.If I didn't have that opportunity to volunteer, I wouldn't have been able to be a community cohesion officer today.
As a community cohesion officer, my job involves reducing community tensions and also bringing communities together. On a day-to-day basis, I meet with religious leaders, faith leaders. I also meet with community organisations and with that we can build up a kind of trusting relationship. By understanding and building that trusting relationship, we can work together to tackle issues around social isolation and hate crime.
I love being a community cohesion officer. I get to meet different people and mix with other cultures and I get to bring communities together.
I’m very fortunate to be doing an incredible job that makes a difference in the community.
- Josh grew up in Norwich and wanted to become involved in sports but quickly realised it wasn't the career path for him
- Josh left school with two GCSEs so he looked into what he could potentially do with a limited amount of GCSEs
- A college careers adviser introduced him to a BTEC course in Public Services
- He loved the subject and decided to go to university where he gained a degree in Leadership in the Public Sector and then a master's degree in Organised Crime, Terrorism and Security
- After gaining some work experience he secured a job for Trafford Council in Manchester where his team work to prevent hateful extremism and promote unity in the local community.
A similar role to Josh's is a community development worker. Community development workers help people to improve the quality of life in their local area.
What to expect if you want to be a community development worker
- Community development worker average salary: £16,000 to £36,000 per year
- Community development worker typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a community development worker?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course, an apprenticeship, or volunteering.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
Discover more on the Prospects website about the role of a community development worker.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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