Editorial: Let's make staff a New Year priority

But now the dust has settled there does appear to be one oversight in the proposals - the workforce. The National Youth Agency noted this in its response to the strategy, stressing that "still more needs to be done to develop and support" the children's workforce and the recruitment of youth workers.

The fact remains that youth work is a less attractive career option compared with many other professions. Pay and conditions still lag behind other comparable jobs such as teaching and the only real incentive to enter youth work is an individual's desire to want to bring about an improvement in young lives. The reality is that in the not too distant future there could well be lots of new facilities for young people but alarmingly few fully trained staff to properly manage and run them.

Overcoming such staffing issues is a challenge for the whole youth sector, from the government down to the workers on the ground. The skills councils and policy-makers need to find new ways to sell youth work to school leavers and those considering a career change, while employers must re-evaluate whether the packages they offer are truly attractive and competitive.

Arguably, though, the biggest responsibility falls on the existing workforce. It must show young people first hand the difference youth work can make, and in turn, inspire a new generation to follow a similar career path. After all, pay and conditions aside, youth work is still one of the most rewarding jobs around.