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Meet Ben, 21, from Cheltenham, a corporate social responsibility coordinator for St. James’s Place Wealth Management. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.

I was put in this department based on my passions and it has worked out really well, because I enjoy it and am really interested in the work that we are doing.

What is your job?

The department I work in ensures that the social, economic and environmental impact of our business is responsibly managed. We coordinate volunteering activities for our staff, with the ambition to change lives. I manage my own projects and meet with lots of people from around the business. I do presentations and awareness-raising of the work that we do for our wider community.

What to expect if you want to become a corporate social responsibility coordinator

What skills do you use in your work?I use communication skills. I talk on the phone, write emails and I do presentations for various audiences. I project-manage and assist others on larger business-wide initiatives. I also use mathematics for calculating various statistics for our annual reports. Other soft skills I use include working in a team and managing my time and diary effectively.

What qualifications do you need to be a corporate social responsibility coordinator?

Entry requirements ?At GCSE I did Geography, Product Design, French, Russian and ICT as well as the usual subjects like Maths and Science. I did A-levels in Maths, Economics and Geography. From there I went to university to do Human Geography, but I dropped out after three months as I wasn’t enjoying it and I didn’t want to do it for three years. I came back home and had never heard of corporate responsibility until I applied for the apprenticeship at St. James's Place, a wealth management company. I spent a year in the department and worked towards a qualification. I have now completed that and am working full-time.

Was it a smooth ride?Doing three months at university was quite daunting and scary as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it for three years. I now look back on it as a really valuable time as it helped me realise what I wanted to do.

Top tips

• I would recommend that people follow their interests and passions. Employers look for passionate people, so do something that you love and it will all be okay.

• Don’t underestimate apprenticeships. It may feel like you are an office junior, but at the end of your apprenticeship, it provides you with a really great set of skills that people at university wouldn’t have – definitely consider an apprenticeship!

Ben is doing an apprenticeship as a corporate social responsibility coordinator. A similar job to Ben's would be a corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner. They make sure that businesses work in an ethical way.

What to expect if you want to be a corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner

• Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner average salary: £22,000 to £43,000 per year
• Corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner typical working hours: 35 to 39 hours per week. You could occasionally work days, nights and weekends.

What qualifications do you need to be a corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioner?

You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma, or a T-level – England-only) or an apprenticeship. You'll usually need two to three A-levels, or equivalent, for a degree or degree apprenticeship. Alternatives to A-levels include taking a T-level (England-only), which is equivalent to three A-levels. Check with your course provider which alternative qualifications they accept.

Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service,

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the for more on T-levels.

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