How to become a youth and community worker
Official title: Youth and community workers
Also called: Youth leader, Youth worker, Youth officer, Youth organiser, Community worker, Community builder, Community officer, Youth club warden, Community champion, Youth support worker, Community coordinator, Youth service manager
Youth and community workers provide support to individuals or groups of individuals through a range of activities or services that aim to encourage participation in social and community life and promote personal and social development. Workers in this group also provide family support activities in the home and community, to both parents and children. They may also encourage behaviour change and participation in sport and physical activity within local communities.
Main tasks
- Organises social, recreational and educational activities in local community and youth groups
- Undertakes the day-to-day running of community centres and supervises the activities of part-time and voluntary workers
- Liaises and supports voluntary workers running groups in village halls, churches, mosques and other places of worship
- Advises individuals with particular needs or problems through informal discussion, individual counselling or formal group discussion
- Plans and delivers community sport, physical activity and health programmes, working with partner organisations to engage local residents
- Helps set up credit unions, encourages parents to establish playgroups, works with other groups to find solutions to shared concerns or problems
How to become one
Entrants will require a qualification accredited by the National Youth Agency at level 2 or 3. Apprenticeships are also available. Some employers may require people to be aged over 21 years of age. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Community activator coach (level 2). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0478.
- Apprenticeship (England): Community sport and health officer (level 3). England. Typically 16 months. Skills England standard ST0093.
- Apprenticeship (England): Cultural learning and participation officer (level 3). England. Typically 15 months. Skills England standard ST0396.
- Apprenticeship (England): Youth support worker (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0906.
- University: Psychology degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK
- University: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £32,654 a year The middle half earn £27,248 to £37,934.
- About 77,600 people work in this job now, and about 85,300 are projected by 2035. (+10%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a youth and community worker?
Entrants will require a qualification accredited by the National Youth Agency at level 2 or 3. Apprenticeships are also available. Some employers may require people to be aged over 21 years of age. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.
How much does a youth and community worker earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £32,654 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £27,248 to £37,934.
Is a youth and community worker a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 10% by 2035, from about 77,600 to about 85,300 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a youth and community worker?
Not always. 56% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Psychology degrees; Health & Public Health degrees; Community activator coach (level 2).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.