Community Development Courses Australia

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About Community Development

You'll become

Average Salaries

Community Development workers may earn between $37,000 and $56,000 per year

Learn how to empower individuals, and entire communities, through the implementation of health advocacy and community consultation programs with these Community Development Courses. Students of Community Development Courses will look at the theory behind: networks within a community, the skills of people, social justice, community resources, social action groups, advocacy services, community priorities and the quality of life. A growing industry, community development is utilised throughout government departments – from health, disability and ageing, through to housing and multicultural – as well as many not-for-profit and volunteer organisations.

Respond to some of society’s biggest challenges and play a leading role in engaging people by studying a community development course.

A dynamic field used within a range of different industries, community development is a broad term that refers to a process that engages community members to solve their own problems and tackle community issues. Done well, community development promotes justice and equality, and creates space for communities and individuals to empower themselves to lead fulfilling, engaged lives.

Recognising the relationship between social, cultural, environmental and economic issues, community development is a holistic and collaborative process that builds the capacity of communities to manage conflict and disadvantage. In communities experiencing poverty, injustice and inequality, community development workers can provide support to ensure problems are addressed in a long-term, sustainable way.

You can complete a community development course as a diploma course, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or post-graduate certificate. You may also choose to undertake research into community development by studying the field in a doctorate of philosophy.

After completing a community development course, you may seek employment in a range of roles working both in Australia and overseas. You may choose to work as a social worker, a program manager, in a non-government organisation or as a consultant to a development program.

If you care deeply about the potential of all people and want to use your skills to fight disadvantage, a career in community development may be for you.

What do community development graduates do?

Community development course workers can work in a range of roles relating to the design, implementation and monitoring of community development programs. Generally, as a community development worker, you can expect to perform tasks like:

Meeting and consulting with community groups, facilitating discussions and conducting workshops, in order to understand community needs and attitudes;
Conducting research and data analysis to determine issues, trends and patterns;
Designing, developing and evaluating development methodologies and approaches;
Managing the implementation of community development programs;
Conducting monitoring and evaluation of community development programs;
Managing staff, budgets and resources;
Preparing reports, surveys and position papers;
Advocating and lobbying for the interests of a community;
Speaking publicly in the media and at events on community development issues; and
Writing publications and statements on community development issues.

Career Outcomes

You may also choose to study a more specialised field of community development, and work specifically in an area like community media development, community arts, or sport for violence prevention. You may also choose to specialise in a particular element of development, working in a role such as a monitoring and evaluation specialist.

Graduates of community development courses can pursue employment in a variety of roles, both within Australia and overseas, and in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. You may choose to seek employment as a:

Is community development right for you?

You’ll thrive working in community development if you:

Believe in the inherent dignity and worth of all people
Are passionate about fighting injustice
Have strong organisational skills
Want to see people succeed
Are a strong leader
Are curious and open-minded
Love learning
Are resilient
Can work well in high-pressure environments
Can think creatively

Job opportunities

The Australian Government’s Job Outlook reports modest growth in career opportunities for graduates of community development courses. It reports that opportunities in the industry have growth over the last decade, and are predicted to continue rising at a moderate rate until at least 2020.

Average Salaries

A community worker in Australia can expect to earn between $37,000 and $56,000 per year, with most earning around $48,000, according to PayScale. Community workers don’t necessarily earn higher salaries with more experience, according to PayScale, which indicates entry-level practitioners may enjoy competitive salaries.

Depending on the nature of the role you take on, you may earn a significantly higher salary – for example, PayScale reports consultants in Australia earn on average $82,000 per year.

min $37K

max $56K

ave $48K

Learnhow to become a

Learn how to become a

Social worker

Indigenous social worker

Industry Bodies

Australian Community Workers Association
Australian Council for International Development

Location

Industry

Qualification

Payment Option

CHC40413 Certificate IV in Youth Work Open Colleges

CHC40413 Certificate IV in Youth Work

CHC43115 Certificate IV in Disability Open Colleges

CHC43115 Certificate IV in Disability

CHC52015 Diploma of Community Services Open Colleges

CHC52015 Diploma of Community Services

Bachelor of Social Science With a Major in Criminology Swinburne Online

Bachelor of Social Science With a Major in Criminology

CHC40412 Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Open Colleges

CHC40412 Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs

Bachelor of Social Work Charles Sturt University

Bachelor of Social Work

Graduate Certificate in Human Services Charles Sturt University

Graduate Certificate in Human Services

CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (WA & SA Only) Open Colleges

CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (WA & SA Only)

CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (SA & WA) Open Colleges

CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (SA & WA)

Diploma of Applied Social Science Jansen Newman Institute

Diploma of Applied Social Science

Diploma of Health and Wellbeing Torrens University Australia

Diploma of Health and Wellbeing

Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Community Services) Jansen Newman Institute

Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Community Services)

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What do community development graduates do?

Career Outcomes

Career Outcomes

Job opportunities

Average Salaries

Learn how to become a

Industry Bodies

CHC40413
Certificate IV in Youth Work Open Colleges

CHC43115
Certificate IV in Disability Open Colleges

CHC52015
Diploma of Community Services Open Colleges

CHC40412
Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs Open Colleges

CHC33015
Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (WA & SA Only) Open Colleges

CHC33015
Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) (SA & WA) Open Colleges