Community/youth studies : Your skills

Community/youth studies courses focus on helping you develop skills that are essential for working with young people or adults in the community.

Completing a community/youth studies course will give you transferable skills that you can apply in a range of positions and sectors, i.e. management and organisational skills, supervision skills, fundraising skills, advocacy and campaigning in the community.

Many of the courses mix together practical and theoretical skills where your knowledge will be tested in real youth and community situations. Your problem-solving skills will be developed by integrating theory and practice. It is essential that you are able to empathise with people’s life experiences and adhere to the principles of equality and being non-judgmental.

Self-management is another skill you develop and this is crucial to success in the youth and community sector. Working independently, amending schedules and planning for your deadlines are daily requirements of many jobs in the field.

You should be able to demonstrate presentation skills too, as this is an important part of the work. Youth and community workers frequently address colleagues, management committees and local representatives, as well as young people, as part of their work.

Teamwork and the ability to work on your own initiative are also important. Community/youth work involves working on your own and with people from all backgrounds, so it is vital you are able to do this. Possession of communication skills is equally important, due to the amount of oral and written communication that is involved.

Consider the skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile. Take a look at job application advice for some useful tips.