Youth worker : Training

Newly qualified youth workers train on the job, supported by experienced colleagues. Child protection training is mandatory for all youth workers. Continuous professional development (CPD) options, whether voluntary or required, are usually negotiable with the employer. Employers often provide regular in-service short courses on particular areas of youth work.

For information on relevant training courses available see the following websites:

• National Youth Agency (NYA)   
• YouthLink Scotland  
• Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI)  
• Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWVYS)   

Short courses are also available in areas such as report writing, managing people and teams.

Additional qualifications are offered in community education or counselling. Postgraduate MA courses in community education are also 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. It may also be possible to take a postgraduate course in related areas such as counselling. PhDs are also available, looking at youth work issues in an academic context.