Knowledge and Skills Required by Community Development Professionals

Abstract

What are the most important types of knowledge and skills needed to do community development work? Considerable attention has been devoted to this question since the Community Development Society was organized in 1969; however, little agreement has been reached on what to include in a community development curriculum. Community Development Society members were asked to identify the knowledge and skills most important for doing community development work. A list of twentytwo knowledge and skill areas was developed and respondents were asked to rate each area by degree of importance. Respondents were also asked if community development professionals need a technical specialty beyond community development. A list of seventeen specializations was developed for rating by respondents who said a technical specialty was needed. The major findings of this survey are contrasted with the views of others who have written about curriculum needs. Implications for professional training programs and accreditation, as well as for the practice of community development and certification, are delineated. An agenda for future research in this area with suggestions for what needs to be done next in curriculum development–including both content and teaching methods–is presented.