Improve your skills
We want to keep skilled, passionate people in the ACT community sector.
However, after working in the community sector for some time you may want to challenge yourself or try something new while remaining in an industry that is making a difference to vulnerable individuals and the wider Canberra community.
You can do that! The community sector is already diverse and it’s growing. There are dozens of different roles in the community services sector.
That means current workers can find many opportunities to develop new skills and find new experiences.
Some roles you can move to using your current work experience, transferable skills or leveraging your lived experience. Others might require you to do some training in preparation.
But don’t let that put you off. Alongside a newly learned skill, you’ll bring a whole package of experience that will help you to secure your next community sector role and achieve great things
Here are some tips if you are thinking about the next steps for your community sector career:
- Talk to your current employer and let them know that you want to develop or change your path. They may be able to help you.
- Contact organisations that have roles that may interest you – check out their websites, go to their events, meet existing staff and find out what they do.
- Talk to people in roles that you’re interested in. Find out how they got their role and the qualifications and experience they have. You may just have what’s needed!
- Contact the Community Sector Careers Hub to be matched with a mentor – maybe someone who is already in a role or from a sector that you’re interested in.
- You don’t have to leave your job to study. Ask your employer about study leave or find out about part-time study options at CIT, universities or other institutions offering professional and academic qualifications.
- Join a board and develop more senior governance and leadership skills and gain a bird’s eye view of how different organisations are run.
- Seen a role that you’re interested in? Give it a shot – you may be surprised that your skills and qualifications are just what they are looking for. And if you’re not successful you can learn what you need to do for your next application.
