Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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Funding for degree apprenticeship will help promote youth work as a career
The funding of £100,000 from the Office for Students, will be used to increase the visibility of Youth Work as a career in society and amongst young people, and to work with local employers. The money will also fund two new posts to support the Youth Work Degree Apprenticeship (DA) – one which will help develop resources to engage with employers and young people, and the other to develop a business model that will allow employers to be able to put apprentices forward for the course.
Petra Salisbury is a senior lecturer in LBU’s School of Health: “The launch of a Degree Apprenticeship in Youth Work has created opportunities to rebuild a profession which has been decimated by years of cuts. Youth workers are needed more than ever for what has been deemed a ‘lost generation’, but we know young people have been severely impacted by disrupted education, increased levels of knife crime and an emerging mental health crisis and lack of investment. Against this backdrop, local and regional employers are struggling to fill vacancies. Many Local Authority jobs are only offered part-time, whilst Third/Voluntary Sector funding is often limited to two years, meaning potential apprentices cannot meet the 30-hour minimum requirement each week, or guaranteed funding for the 36-months of the qualification.
“This money will allow us to try and find a way to work with employers who are struggling to meet the requirements and, along with our local providers, host events to raise awareness of youth work as a career option and to create resources such as videos to help share this message.
Youth work is an exceptionally diverse profession – it is fun, creative, challenging and really very rewarding.”
Youth workers plan, organise and oversee community programmes aimed at young people. They work directly with young people, helping them to build life skills and confidence, develop healthy relationships and make decisions that are right for them. They run projects that focus on issues like health, bullying, crime or drugs, but the main purpose of youth work is to allow young people safe spaces to have fun. Youth workers also work alongside a range of other professions including social workers, teachers, probation officers and the police.
Degree apprenticeships combine full-time work with studying for a bachelors or masters degree qualification. This exciting model enables apprentices to gain an in-depth understanding of their subject area and sector, whilst developing professional skills and practically applying their academic learning in the workplace. For employers, apprenticeships provide a targeted and cost-effective opportunity to develop both new talent and your existing workforce with skills and expertise tailored to your company's requirements.
Leeds Beckett University offers degree apprenticeships in nursing and social work, clinical and applied science, management, digital and built environment and engineering – find out more here.