Decline in male youth workers

The proportion of male youth work students has fallen from 40 per cent in 2005/6 to 35 per cent in 2006/7.

The percentage of non-white students rose from 29 per cent to 31 per cent. The proportion of disabled students was also higher than the previous academic year.

Fewer youth work students entered the voluntary sector on completing their course and more entered the statutory sector; there was also a rise in those employed in Connexions.

The report highlights a trend towards courses using fewer traditional youth work settings for student placements and more integrated youth support service settings. It voices concerns that supervisors will increasingly not be from a traditional youth work background and may lack the required JNC qualifications, and states: "The ETS Committee will need to be satisfied in future years that sufficient support is provided to ensure the requirements for professional validation [of courses] are being met."

Amanda Fearn, workforce development officer at The NYA, said: "There is a pleasing growth in the number of professionally validated courses and good progression of foundation and diploma programmes into full BAs ready for the 2010 changes. There is also a growth in the breadth of curriculum and placements as integrated services develop to meet the needs of the new agenda."

 She added: "We continually seek to improve monitoring processes to effectively capture the impact of these changes and are working with higher education and employers to maintain and develop contemporary and relevant professional programmes at this level."