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 for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
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