Now, more than ever, young people aged 11 to 25 need the guidance and support of youth workers to help with their personal and social development as they make the successful transition to adulthood.

Youth Work Week runs from 1 – 7 November 2021 and encourages young people, youth workers, and those that commission, fund or lead youth work to show how they support young people in the present and how they will champion them for the future.

We heard from Esther Horner-Aird from Kinetic Youth and Kay Brokenshire from The Harrow Club W10 to gain an insight in to what it’s like working in this inspiring sector, and how our youth work qualifications are making a difference at their Centres.

Esther Horner-Aird, Director of Policy and Performance, Kinetic Youth

“Kinetic Youth have been working in collaboration with Skills and Education Group Awards for a number of years, developing a relationship that has benefitted both organisations but most importantly young people. The young adults that have been engaged with through Kinetic Youth have gone on to deliver effective services to young people within the Youth Justice system and some have progressed into higher learning opportunities.

“During COVID-19, Kinetic Youth worked in partnership with HMYOI Feltham to identify a cohort of six prison officers who were seconded from the Youth Custody Service for a period of three months. During this time, the seconded cohort worked towards their Level 2 Award in Youth Work Principles, whilst delivering youth services within the establishment. The whole experience was a huge success, with both seconded prison officers and the young people all recognising positive impact on relationships as a direct result of engagement in the process.

“We have recently engaged in a pilot project to deliver the Level 1 Award in Worker’s Rights and Labour Exploitation to a cohort of young people in Yorkshire, London and Kent. The cohorts of young people engaged saw a direct link between their vulnerability and the exploitative examples listed in the course literature. The course was adaptable to the informal learning styles best suited to youth work and we look forward to continuing to be able to deliver this as part of a resettlement programme.

“Kinetic Youth are proud to collaborate with Skills and Education Group Awards in the delivery of formal accreditations using informal educative methodologies. We look forward to developing new and exciting ways to expand this relationship and create more opportunities for young people and colleagues in the sector.”

Kay Brokenshire, Head of Workforce Development, The Harrow Club W10

“As a trained teacher, when a part-time job as a field officer for Hertfordshire Association of Youth Clubs came up, I jumped at the chance! I later went on to work as a full-time JNC youth worker in the middle Hertfordshire team, spending a further 12 years working in the sector. I always felt that my key purpose was to help young people to be the best that they could be.

“After taking early retirement, I continued to work with the voluntary sector to provide opportunities for youth work training. I set up a training centre, registered with Skills and Education Group Awards, at the Harrow Club W10, based in North Kensington.

“The Harrow Club is very active in the local community and now has a number of satellite centres. The training team meet most of the internal staff’s training needs and we now extend the offer to other services and organisations across London and the Home Counties. We are engaged in helping youth workers to be the best that they can be, so that the young people they work with can be the best they can be!

“After the vast reductions in funding for Local Authority Youth Services, the challenges that the various lockdowns brought and the rising social issues now being highlighted as a result, young people are back in the headlines. They need the services, the support and the encouragement of trained youth workers to continue to believe that there is a place out there in the world for them. They need to be supported through all the transitions of life to achieve their full potential.”

Skills and Education Group Awards offers a generous range of youth work qualifications, developed to give learners the knowledge and skills they require to become a competent youth support worker.

Our Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice (England) has been developed with industry experts including the National Youth Agency, ETS England and Wales, and is now part of the Level 3 Youth Support Worker apprenticeship standard. As well as this, it is also available for funding for eligible as part of the National Skills Fund.

You can browse our full suite of youth work qualifications here.

Did you know we recently became approved to deliver the Level 3 Youth Support Worker end-point assessment? You can find more information here.

To find out more about our qualifications and how to become an approved Centre with us, contact our Relationship Managers here.