Professional Learning for Youth Work Managers
The Level 3 Leadership and Management in Youth Work course has been developed due to an identified need from the Skills and Training Audit, where many practitioners reflected that although they have gained or are pursuing leadership roles, they have not received any formal training on leadership and management. In addition, leaders and managers attending the Level 7 Youth Work Leadership and Management course recognised the strategic relevance of this course. They felt that managers across all levels of youth work required more of an operational leadership and management focus.
To address this identified need, a group of practitioners from across Wales met to discuss the contents of the programme and identify how this could be developed for new and or existing youth work managers. Through working collaboratively, with participants who had previously undertaken the Level 7 programme, the Level 3 course has been developed, and recently delivered as part of a pilot in partnership with Adult Learning Wales, ETS Cymru and Emma Chivers (Youth Work Consultant and Researcher). The course had a focus on operational leadership when managing others within a Youth Work setting and was accredited through Agored Cymru.
This is also an optional unit from the Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice, which can contribute to your Youth Support Worker Qualification. In addition, if you gain 37 or more credits, you will gain the Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice, which provides a firm foundation for your professional learning.
One of the participants found the course useful, as stated in the comment below:
“Very helpful, I enjoyed the course content and being able to discuss leadership with colleagues. I am going to reflect on my management style and introduce different types of supervision, I would recommend this qualification to others.”
Future delivery of the course will be supported by the development of a ‘Training the Trainer’ package, which includes session plans, workbooks, and assessments to support the successful delivery of the course, so youth work managers are able to deliver this within their own organisation, and/or regionally. This can be done in a variety of ways, one being, if you partner with Adult Learning Wales, you may be entitled to access Welsh Government draw down funding, to support the trainer to deliver this, or you can request one of their tutors to deliver the course for you. If you would like to do this, please contact Rachel Burton: Rachel.Burton@AdultLearning.Wales, or if you would like to self-fund this, you can use the resources developed within your own Agored Centre, providing you meet the necessary requirements set out by Agored Cymru.
