THE NATIONAL YOUTH AGENCY: Call for better training opportunities

The proposals come from the Workforce Development Implementation Group, which was set up following a conference on "Ensuring a High Quality Workforce" at Warwick University in March 2002. This examined issues associated with raising demand for youth workers, improving the supply and providing a national framework for workforce development.

The report, which has been sent to Margaret Hodge, minister for children and young people, calls for the development of more pathways into youth work, particularly to enable people to obtain qualifications while in employment, and for clarity about the various qualification routes and the equivalences between them.

Among its recommendations are:

- developing a modern apprenticeship with clear progression routes to a foundation degree;

- developing a level 4 NVQ to allow people currently "locally qualified" to achieve full-professional status;

- supporting the development of more foundation degrees in youth work;

- mapping the qualifications framework.

Other areas of focus include the quality assurance of education and training, its resourcing, the establishment of a General Youth Work Council, staff development policies, a national campaign to promote the value of youth work to the community and effective careers guidance material to support recruitment.

Tom Wylie, chief executive of The NYA, said: "Transforming Youth Work sets an extensive and demanding modernisation agenda for youth work organisations.

Crucial to delivering this agenda is attracting, retaining and developing the workforce. Evidence, including that from Ofsted reports, shows that many youth services are experiencing significant recruitment difficulties, many part-time youth workers are untrained and that insufficient resource is devoted to in-service training."

The full report and an executive summary are available as Pdf files on The NYA web site. From the home page, click on programmes and then quality standards.