This week I’ve been talking with Youthforce, a national training provider, about accessing their accredited youth work courses for free!

I get asked a lot about training and qualifications in youth work, particularly from those in the voluntary sector who are looking to develop or enhance their skills. I’ve also got a number of long-term volunteers who are now looking to maybe get into working with young people as a profession. Although it may be a bad time for youth work in the UK, there are still opportunities out there and I’m really excited about working with Youthforce to get people trained.

Youthforce are based down the road from me in Hove, but are dedicated to developing people in the UK and globally. They provide accredited and non-accredited courses for professionals in the public sector, and also train and mentor leaders and employees in the private sector too. Crucially for me, many of their trainers come from a youth work background and the whole organisation understands the youth work sector well. From their website:

If you are interested in undertaking an apprenticeship or a qualification in the field of Youth Work, Mentoring or Sports & Active Leisure then Youthforce can provide a valuable training experience. Many courses are fully funded.Youthforce is able to take on individual students as well as full cohorts of learners nationally. With professional and dedicated trainers based in all areas of England, this opportunity is truly great value! With this opportunity Youthforce is also pleased to launch the Level 1 qualifications, an exciting addition to our eclectic qualification portfolio.

They are currently recruiting people for the Level 1 Certificate: Introduction to Youth Work,  Level 2 Certificate: Youth Work Practice, and Level 3 Diploma: Youth Work Practice among others. The criteria for each course is different, so click through to see which is most appropriate for your needs. For those employed to do youth work (even an hour a week), and who don’t have any previous Level 2 qualifications (e.g. VRQ/NVQ, etc), the Level 2 or 3 training may be totally FREE! (It looks like I might be able to get three volunteers qualified at Level 3 at no cost.)

If you’re interested, each level involves building a portfolio of work/evidence through an online access point and meeting together either regular evenings or weekends (e.g. the Level 3 Diploma is around 16 days or 32 evenings over a 9 month period).

Level 2 is designed to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to competently fulfil the role of Assistant Youth Support Worker. It’s suitable for participants looking to develop their skills and practice in working with young people enabling participants to link theory with practice whilst providing a dynamic and enriching learning experience. It has been designed to develop the skills and knowledge needed to work with young people in a Youth Work setting. Participants should have already completed an introductory level qualification in a relevant field and/or gained relevant experience of working with young people. Participants must be working directly with young people between the ages of 11 – 25 regularly with at least 50% of the practise being with 13 – 19 year olds. Learners who achieve the ABC Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice may wish to progress onto ABC Level 3 Awards/Certificates/Diploma. Click for Course Outline

Level 3 is designed to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that are needed to competently fulfil the role of Youth Support Worker. This diploma is recognised as a pre-professional qualification that qualifies workers to supervise small teams of sessional staff. It is essential that participants are regularly working directly with young people between the ages of 11 – 25 with at least 50% of the practise with 13 – 19 year olds. Learners should ideally have completed a level 2 qualification in youth work and/or have significant experience in a youth work setting. Learners need to have access to the real work environment.  Click for Course Outline