BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Professionally Endorsed) (Youth Worker Integrated Degree Apprenticeship)

Program Overview

The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Youth Worker Degree Apprenticeship) is a professionally endorsed program that equips apprentices with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to facilitate the personal, social, and educational development of young people. Through a combination of academic study and work-based learning, apprentices develop the expertise to enable young people to develop their voice, influence, and place in society. Upon successful completion, graduates are eligible for qualified youth worker status and can pursue careers in various youth services and community-based organizations.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The University of Bolton's professionally endorsed BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Youth Worker Degree Apprenticeship) is designed to support the development of confident, highly competent, compassionate and professional youth workers. It's recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and offers dual professional endorsement from the National Youth Agency (NYA) and Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development Learning (ESB). This apprenticeship program aims to equip apprentices with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to facilitate young people's personal, social, and educational development. It integrates academic study and work-based learning into the normal working week, allowing apprentices to practice their new skills and apply their understanding to their work with young people. The program focuses on the core values of youth work, ensuring apprentices understand the purpose of enabling young people to develop holistically. It covers youth work theory, models and approaches, provision and interventions, legislation and policy, and how these underpin professional decision-making. The program emphasizes experiential learning, enabling apprentices to reflect on their practice, ethics, and values while exploring contemporary issues impacting young people. By combining academic study at university with work-based learning, apprentices quickly have the opportunity to apply skills, knowledge, and behaviors in the workplace, developing excellent practice competencies. Upon successful completion, apprentices will be able to confidently use a rights-based approach to develop person-centered relationships with young people. They will be able to use informal education approaches to facilitate the development of young people and have the skills to promote the interest of young people and advocate on their behalf. Overall, as graduates, they will have the professional expertise to help young people develop their voice, influence, and place in society and reach their individual and collective potential.

Outline:

The program is fully mapped to the Level 6 Youth Worker degree apprenticeship standard (ST0522). The University works with employers to devise individual learning agreements for each apprentice, ensuring they fulfill the apprenticeship criteria and develop additional skills, knowledge, and behaviors valuable to their organization.

Modules:

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional.

• Youth Work, Policy and Practice
• People, Power and Social Change
• Group Work and Informal Education
• Ethics, Values and Reflective Practice
• Work-Based Project 1
• Portfolio of Evidence 1
• Community Development, Policy and Practice
• Diversity, Identity and Social Justice
• Enabling Healthy Communities
• Contemporary Issues in Youth Work
• Work-Based Project 2
• Portfolio of Evidence 2
• Global Youth Work and Sustainable Communities
• Community Living: Housing and Homelessness
• Management, Governance and Organisational Development
• Work-Based Project 3
• Portfolio of Evidence 3
• End Point Assessment

Assessment:

Level

|

• ------ | --------
Level one | Coursework 64%, Practical exams 36% Level two | Coursework 78%, Practical exams 22% Level three | Coursework 68%, Practical exams 32%

Teaching:

The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Youth Worker Degree Apprenticeship) offers a flexible and adaptable approach to developing skills, knowledge, and behaviors required for a career working with young people.

Teaching and Learning Methods:

• Online delivery and engagement where appropriate
• Lectures
• Seminars and group-based activities
• Tutorials
• Case studies and practical scenarios
• Guided independent study
• Guest speakers from the community development and youth work field

Assessment Methods:

• Written reports
• Presentations
• Portfolio development
• Essays and reflective accounts
• Active participation in group discussions
• Practical skills assessments

Faculty:

The highly experienced program team includes youth and community practitioners, managers, and academics who offer both academic and practice-based learning to support the professional development of apprentices.

Unique Approaches:

• The program and curriculum have been designed in consultation with youth and community employers, practitioners, academics, and students to ensure its fitness for practice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing apprentices to prepare work in advance and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• The approach to teaching and learning is student-centered, with tailored help and support provided throughout studies and work-based learning.
• The relationship between teaching and practice provides the essential learning apprentices need to develop as knowledgeable and skilled practitioners able to perform professionally and ethically in their work with young people and communities.
• Quarterly and annual reviews, where each apprentice, their workplace mentor, and a member of the team meet to assess the apprentice's progress, promote continuing conversation between the workplace and the University.

Careers:

The BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Youth Worker Degree Apprenticeship) is designed to meet the integrated degree apprenticeship standard for Youth Workers (ST0522). Graduates of this apprenticeship will be eligible for qualified youth worker status.

Potential Career Paths:

• Statutory, voluntary, charity, and faith youth services
• Youth and community centers
• Community-based groups
• Outdoor activity centers
• Targeted intervention and family support
• Schools, colleges, alternative educational settings
• Youth training schemes
• Hospitals and other health environments
• Youth offending teams
• Youth justice projects
• Housing associations
• Supported accommodation
• Residential settings

Other:

• The program is professionally endorsed by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for Youth Work (as validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) Education and Training Standards Committee).
• The Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development Learning (ESB) also professionally recognizes the program.
• Successful achievement of the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Professionally Endorsed) (Youth Worker Integrated Degree Apprenticeship) confers professionally qualified status for youth workers in England.
• Employers can expect graduate apprentices to possess a wide range of transferable skills, such as presentation, oral and written communication, the ability to problem solve and work independently and deal with complex and challenging situations, advocacy and empathy, resilience, teamwork, and the ability to understand and work with people from all backgrounds.
• Graduates may also progress to postgraduate-level study in subjects such as community justice, social policy, and counseling.
• Studying for a PhD or professional doctorate is another option, or they could pursue a career in teaching by undertaking the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).