Community Education

Community education is a field of professional practice and academic study concerned with supporting learning, development and empowerment in community settings outside the formal school system. It recognises that education is not confined to classrooms or formal institutions, but takes place throughout life in families, neighbourhoods, workplaces and voluntary organisations, and that supporting people's capacity to learn, reflect and take action is one of the most effective routes to individual and social change. The discipline draws on adult education, youth work, community development and social sciences to build both a theoretical understanding of informal and non-formal learning and the practical skills needed to facilitate it.

At the University of the West of Scotland this programme is studied part time, reflecting the reality that many people who work in or aspire to community education roles are already employed in related fields. You will engage with the history and philosophy of adult and community education, the theory and practice of group facilitation and community development, the policy contexts that shape community learning in Scotland, and the ethical and professional frameworks that underpin practice in this field. The programme is designed to develop your capacity as a reflective practitioner, someone who can draw on theory to understand and improve their own professional practice.

You will develop skills in facilitation, programme planning, community engagement, critical reflection and professional communication. The ability to work alongside people in their own communities, to support their learning on their own terms, requires both human sensitivity and professional rigour, and the programme develops both.

Graduates from community education programmes typically work as community learning and development practitioners, youth workers, adult educators and community development workers in local authorities, the voluntary sector and community organisations across Scotland. Professional registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland is available to graduates of appropriately endorsed programmes.