Youth work: the route to qualification

Volunteers are the lifeblood of youth work. The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) estimates there are about 500,000 volunteers working with young people in the UK. All employers require volunteers to undergo some form of training. This is generally delivered in-house and can be important in giving confidence to new workers. Some volunteers are happy to stick to doing their allocated hours a week and may be reluctant to undertake training, but good employers are increasingly finding creative ways to include training as part of a volunteer's hours.

But Nichola Brown, workforce development officer for NCVYS, is keen to stress that youth workers don't need a formal qualification to work with young people. "When volunteers hear talk about degrees and licensing they can get put off," she says. "There is no need for a licence or degree if you want to work with young people."

For those volunteers and part-time paid workers who may be looking to build a career in youth work, further qualifications are available to help develop skills. Larger voluntary organisations offer good in-house opportunities for training that are linked to promotion and career development. 

Brown explains there is a big move in the voluntary sector towards getting this training accredited so it can be linked to the National Qualifications Framework. Local authorities are likely to provide access to training at Vocationally Related Qualification and National Vocational Qualification Level 1, 2 and 3. These pre-professional qualifications can gain you employment as a youth support worker and also provide a gateway to further study and full qualification in youth work. Finding the cash for such training can be difficult for voluntary organisations but, says Brown, the Train to Gain initiative is set to provide more funding to help train a wider range of workers.

London Youth offers a well-established foundation qualification and introductory certificates for volunteers in the capital who want to undertake a qualification. These accredited courses aim to provide participants with a basic knowledge and awareness of the skills that everyone working with young people should have. Topics covered include what is youth work?, the role of the youth worker, building relationships with young people, health and safety and child protection.

The Prince's Trust has also been working in partnership with The National Youth Agency (NYA), YMCA England and Wiltshire Youth Development Service for the past two years to develop the new Youth Steps training programme for young people. The programme aims to develop disadvantaged young people's leadership abilities and help them break into professional youth work.

Following the success of the pilot, the programme has received £380,000 from the Department for Children, Schools and Families to help expand it to other parts of England.

Qualified youth workers

To be a fully-qualified youth worker in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you need to hold a qualification that is recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), which is composed of youth work employers and trade unions. JNC recognition is currently attached to a range of qualifications - a foundation degree, a diploma in higher education, a postgraduate certificate or an honours degree. These courses have been validated on behalf of JNC by The NYA, guaranteeing a level of quality both for students and employers.

Di Evans, development officer for training at The NYA, advises prospective students to look at a number of courses: "Although they will have a largely standard curriculum, they are delivered in various different ways. Talk to programme staff and find out if it is right for you," she adds. Full details about validated courses are listed on The NYA website.

Obtaining a JNC qualification will give students access to a much wider variety of jobs and put staff on a natio-nal pay scale with a minimum set of terms and conditions. JNC pay rates have a youth support worker range and a professional range for qualified workers. This latter has 17 four-point scales and each employer will decide where a particular job sits - a qualified worker with some experience might expect to look at jobs around points 19 to 23, which pay from £26,000 to £29,000.

For people starting their course after September 2010, JNC recognition will only be granted to students studying to degree level or above. Di Evans recognises this may cause some concerns, but stresses that potential students should not be put off: "Many diploma students carry on and do a third year for their degree anyway," she says. "That third year has usually been more academic. In the new degree courses the professional formation elements are spread more evenly across the courses, providing people with an excellent grounding in practice."

A number of courses aimed specifically at youth workers who want to work in the faith-based sector are also available. For example, the Centre for Youth Ministry offers a BA (Hons) in Youth and Community Work, which is recognised by the JNC. The International Christian College, based in Glasgow, offers a similar course for students in Scotland.

The University of Chester offers both a Diploma and BA in Christian Youth Work. In 2006, the university also created the first Foundation Degree in Muslim Youth Work for youth workers who need to be aware of the cultural sensitivities of working within this community.

Youth work managers

There is no formal qualification required for entry into youth work management but employers do expect a solid level of experience. For a first management job this is likely to be at least five years spent as a full-time youth worker, including experience of leading a team of staff. Some employers may also want to see evidence of responsibility for a curriculum theme or a geographical area. 

Susie Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Principal Youth and Community Officers, explains that there is currently a lack of training specifically addressing youth work management. Increasingly though, authorities do offer the chance across all departments to study for a generic Certificate in Management Skills.

"A few years back there were some very successful youth work management courses delivered as part of the Transforming Youth Work programme," says Roberts. "While those courses didn't ‘qualify' you, it did give aspiring managers the chance to consider the issues in a youth work context. We hope that the current process of workforce reform will offer more opportunities like that."

The Next Steps for Children's Workforce document, published in April 2008, confirmed that the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is investigating ways of addressing the needs of middle managers within children's services, which could ultimately lead to a range of new training programmes.

Also relevant to the aspiring manager are a range of postgraduate courses. "There are some really good opportunities to study for PhDs and Masters degrees," says Roberts. "The bulk of these, though, tend to be about looking at youth work issues in an academic context. If someone asks me for a specific qualification that will help them get on in youth work management, I would tell them to look instead at an MBA, or better still a Masters in Public Administration." 

Northern Ireland

Until recently, youth workers in Northern Ireland were required to study one of the approved JNC qualifications to become qualified. Now a new North-South Youth Work Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth is setting standards for youth training throughout Ireland. Initially, the focus is on endorsement of professional courses in higher education, but subsequently it will be looking to raise standards and open up pathways at all levels of training. There are arrangements ensuring that newly endorsed courses will continue to be recognised by JNC.

Scotland

In Scotland, the minimum qualification for professional recognition is a Degree in Community Education. Courses leading to professional status are validated by Community Education Validation and Endorsement and courses are currently offered by the Universities of Dundee, Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Glasgow and YMCA George Williams College. Staff can acquire a wide range of pre-professional qualifications offered by employers and colleges at various levels on the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework. There are also currently four pilot projects for Modern Apprenticeships in Youth Work, for employees aged 16-plus, offering training up to Level 3.

Wales

Since March 2007, responsibility for granting professional endorsement of initial courses leading to JNC-qualified youth and community work status in Wales lies with the Education and Training Standards Advisory Group. Several universities in Wales run youth work qualifications, including North East Wales Institute of Higher Education and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. There is currently no minimum standard required for working with young people.

Tim Burke

MORE INFORMATION

National Council For Voluntary  Youth Services 020 7278 1041 www.ncvys.org.uk

National Youth Agency 0116 242 7350 www.nya.org.uk

Youth Council for Northern Ireland 028 9064 3882 www.ycni.org

YouthLink Scotland 0131 313 2488 http://www.youthlink.co.uk

CASE STUDY

Kai Wooder, education and outreach manager, Wirral Brook

Kai Wooder grew up in a working-class Liverpool home where the emphasis was "more on survival than achievement". She left school with few qualifications, but then got involved with the youth development charity Weston Spirit.

"It really opened my eyes," she explains. "I ended up being supported through the Rank Foundation Gap scheme, enabling me to become a full-time volunteer for a year."

Aged 21, she was convinced she had found a career she wanted to pursue, but was unable to just go off and study. So she began a distance-learning foundation course with YMCA George Williams College. "Studying was a shock and for a while, I admit, I hated it," says Wooder. "But then something clicked.

"Part-time distance learning is great because it allows you to earn a living. But you have to be sure about your motivation because it's very easy to walk away from."

The time commitment amounted to about a day a week, with regional study days every few weeks that provided an opportunity to meet other students on the course.

After completing the foundation course, Wooder went on to do the three-year diploma in youth work, which gave her professional qualified status.

"Getting the diploma was great because I knew it meant something, but I only really scraped by," she says. "I knew I was better than that, which motivated me to continue for a further two years for a BA."

Wooder says that qualifications are important but they alone don't mean you can do the job. "I think everyone needs a balance of qualifications and experience," she says. "I'd love to go on now and do an MA if I can find the right course, but I also recognise that learning comes about in many ways."

Tim Burke