Community Development & Youth Work (CLD) (PGDip) Postgraduate Diploma - PgDip

Community and Development and Youth Work involves working with individuals and communities. It is a values based profession that enables people to identify their own and collective goals, take part in learning and bring about change for themselves and their communities.

Studying this course will prepare you for a career in community development. You will be dedicated to building stronger, more equitable communities. It will equip you with the appropriate skills, knowledge, and values. These will allow you to address various community challenges. These may include contemporary social, political and environmental issues. You will be able to use collective action and community empowerment to promote positive change.

You will develop expertise across different areas. These will include community development, adult education, and youth work. You will explore:


- social justice theory and application


- environmental sustainability and community resilience


- critical reflection and ethical practice


- political analysis


- social policy development and implementation


- participatory research methods


- programme planning, delivery, and evaluation


- multi-agency partnership working


This course is accredited by the Community Learning and Development Standards Council.

By studying Community Development and Youth Work, you can help create stronger, more inclusive communities. You will gain valuable skills in leadership, communication and community engagement. You will also learn how people can work together more effectively. You will learn how they work towards progressive social change. Studying this course can enable you to make a real and lasting impact in people's lives.

Our course is designed to be delivered fully online. There are opportunities to come onto campus to meet and work alongside other students, should this be an option for you.

This course can integrate seamlessly with your current role. It will enhance your practice through structured learning and critical reflection.

You will be encouraged to undertake an analysis of areas such as:


- social justice


- equality


- environmental issues


- political perspectives


- personal and professional values


This will enhance your critical thinking and reflection skills.

You will study community work theories and relevant social policy and political theory. These will help you analyse and develop your own community work practice approach. You will learn about broader social, economic, political and cultural trends. You will reflect on what these will mean for you and the communities that you will be working alongside.

You will also be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of Community Development, Adult Education and Youth Work values, principles, ethics, and competencies.

You will learn how to undertake robust and valid research. This will be meaningful to the practice setting you are based within.

You will have the opportunity to delve deeper into issues of practice that you are passionate about.

Work produced by our students is regularly used by partner organisations. This is used to support funding applications and to promote the work they undertake.