Experience some learning with the quick guide. But don't forget to record your achievement afterwards.
1 The principle behind accreditation is that young people's learning and experience should be recognised. This is radical for youth work, which has traditionally kept quiet about what it does, how it does it, why and for whose benefit. Recognition might be a certificate, an award, or just a record of what happened.
2 The biggest and best-known accrediting body in youth work is The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Also pretty familiar are the badges and awards associated with Scouts and Guides. Then there are a various schemes that many are still hazy about, such as Youth Achievement Awards, Asdan and Getting Connected. They offer a wide variety of options, suitable for all stages.
The best source of information is the National Framework of Informal Education Awards, available free from The National Youth Agency publication sales (0116 285 3700).
3 To young people who have never had much joy out of school, an award gained through youth work can be the first time anyone has formally recognised the value of anything they have done. Hardened youth workers have been known to get a lump in the throat at the proud response to a mere certificate.
4 Some people worry that employers don't recognise all the awards. This is less of a problem in practice than in theory. A young person who has achieved something meaningful to them can describe it on an application form and talk about it at interview.
The good news is that employers value evidence of general ability in teamwork or problem-solving as much as specific skills or training.
5 Accreditation is not a separate process from the learning it validates.
If young people play a part in devising it, in recognising the development they have discovered in themselves, it is an integral part of the youth work process.
6 Accreditation is not without its critics. How can a requirement to credit learning fit a universal service for all young people that they access voluntarily? For all practical purposes, critics have lost the argument. Youth minister Margaret Hodge recently lowered the accreditation benchmark from 60 per cent of those reached by the youth service to 30 per cent. But accreditation is definitely here to stay.
7 Later this month, the second report of the working group on the 14- to 19-year-old curriculum, chaired by Mike Tomlinson, will be published.
Watch out for the emphasis on wider learning. Youth workers can deliver some of this. If they don't, young people will go where they feel appreciated.
