Youth workers promote the personal, educational and social development of young people aged between 13 and 19 and may also work with young people with learning difficulties up to the age of 25. Programmes aim to engage young people, redress inequalities, value opinions, and empower individuals to take action on issues affecting their lives, including health, education, unemployment and the environment, by developing positive skills and attitudes.
Youth workers respond to the needs and interests of young people and work in a range of environments: youth centres, schools, colleges, faith-based groups and Youth Offending Teams (see the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (http://www.yjb.gov.uk) ). Methods include supporting recreational activities, providing advice and counselling, sometimes in an outreach setting.
Youth workers aim to help young people achieve the aims and outcomes of the government guidelines contained in Every Child Matters (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/) , which are that children and young people should:
Youth workers' roles vary greatly, but typical activities involve:
Outreach workers engage with young people in pubs and cafes and on the street to make contact with alienated and 'at risk' groups who reject formal activities.
The minimum age for appointment as a youth worker ranges from 18 to 21, depending on the employer and the candidate's experience. Most youth workers have a qualification validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) (http://www.nya.org.uk) (or Youth Council for Northern Ireland (http://www.ycni.org) ). Professionally validated HE awards (diploma, foundation degree, degree, postgraduate courses/Masters) in youth and community work are offered by around 38 English universities and colleges of higher education. For details of full-time and part-time postgraduate courses, see Prospects Postgraduate Directory (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pgdbase). From 2010, all new qualifications in youth work will have to be at degree level or higher.
Full details of routes to qualification are available from the NYA. The website provides information on endorsed courses and alternative training, which is especially relevant for mature, experienced applicants.
Sources of training opportunities in Scotland can be found at Youth Link Scotland (http://www.youthlink.co.uk) and for Wales, see the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWVYS) (http://www.cwvys.org.uk) .
Full- and part-time courses are available and require completion of substantial fieldwork placements. De Montfort University offer a part-time distance-learning programme (attendance twice a year is mandatory) and the YMCA (http://www.ymca.org.uk) offers an online training programme.
Entry without qualification is possible, but only if you commit to a programme of training to achieve a qualification, and you have previous relevant work experience. Colleges may offer Access to HE courses for adults who have relevant work experience (preferably 12 months or longer) and can cope with the academic demands of the course. Qualifications are accredited by the National Youth Agency (NYA) (http://www.nya.org.uk) , or look on PAULO (http://www.paulo.org.uk/) for further training and course information.
One to two years' youth work experience is vital for entry to professional training; most entrants gain this by volunteering, often gaining an initial certificate via local training provision.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
Having an interest in or talent for sport or performing arts is an advantage. A second language can be useful, particularly if you intend to work with a relevant ethnic group.
Contact your local youth service (local authority in Scotland) or voluntary bodies to arrange voluntary or part-time sessional work. See the Volunteering England (http://www.volunteering.org.uk) website for details of volunteer bureaux in your area, or visit Volunteer Centre Network Scotland (http://www.volunteerscotland.org.uk) , Volunteering Wales (http://www.volunteering-wales.net) , or Volunteer Now (http://www.volunteering-ni.org) .
It is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious faith or age, although maturity may be valued. For more information on equality and diversity in the job market see Handling Discrimination (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/discrimination).
For more information, see work experience (www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience) and find courses and research (www.prospects.ac.uk/pg).
Newly-qualified youth workers train on the job, supported by experienced colleagues. Child protection training is mandatory.
Continuous professional development (CPD) options, whether voluntary or required, are usually negotiable with the employer.
For information on courses available, see the National Youth Agency (NYA) (http://www.nya.org.uk) , Youth Link Scotland (http://www.youthlink.co.uk) , the Youth Council for Northern Ireland (http://www.ycni.org) and the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWVYS) (http://www.cwvys.org.uk) .
Additional qualifications are offered in community education or counselling. Postgraduate MA courses in Community Education are available. All applicants for such courses are expected to have some previous experience of working in a community setting in either a paid or voluntary capacity.
The average time spent in one post is just over five years, and sideways moves between sectors or into special projects are common. Qualified full-time workers are usually appointed initially at level two, typically involving 50% face-to-face work and 50% administration, while team leader posts or responsibility for project management and coordination are often graded at level three.
Youth workers in the public sector often start in a school or youth centre environment, which is relatively safe. With experience, you can then move on to mentoring and counselling work, or more detached roles. It is often necessary to relocate for promotion to the small number of senior, principal area youth worker or development officer posts.
The contribution of the voluntary sector is becoming more clearly recognised and increased opportunities are available. The range of job roles includes more project work, such as targeting young people at risk of exclusion from school, and close liaison with other agencies, such as the police and educational welfare bodies.
Some workers are involved in the juvenile justice system, providing community-based sentencing in liaison with social workers. Youth workers may be seconded for two years to the new inter-agency Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) (see the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (http://www.yjb.gov.uk) ).
Increasingly, youth workers are employed by other services, such as social services and the health service, and there are very strong links with the Connexions (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/Youth/youthmatters/connexions/connexions/) service, which provides personal advice and mentoring to young people. Many workers use their experience to move into related jobs such as Careers adviser/personal adviser within Connexions, community education, outdoor education, social work, advice work or training.
The majority of youth work opportunities are available within local authorities, of which there are 150 in England, and youth workers are also employed by a range of other organisations. The principal employers are:
There is an increasing demand for trained youth workers as a result of the development of government policies aimed at helping disengaged young people address issues such as truancy, crime, and drug abuse. Many initiatives involve multiagency projects, while in the voluntary sector there is improved recognition and funding. The youth service itself, however, is not a statutory agency, and all participation by young people is voluntary.
Search graduate jobs (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobvacs).
Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.
See also job hunting tips (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobhunt) and applications, CVs and interviews (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews).
The following Graduate Prospects and AGCAS products should be available in your university careers service. If you would like to purchase your own copy go to order publications to find out more.
The following Case studies are also available on prospects.ac.uk:
© Content copyright of or licensed to AGCAS (www.agcas.org.uk)
Written by Tahira Majothi, The Manchester Metropolitan University, May 2008.
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