The latest research by the National Youth Agency (NYA) reveals that fewer than seven per cent of respondents to a national survey of youth workers are under 26 years old, almost half (49 percent) are over the age of 46 and over half (59 percent) have worked in the youth sector for over a decade, highlighting the challenges in recruiting young entrants to this increasingly needed sector.
Around 1000 youth workers participated in the first Youth Sector Workforce Survey (between November – December 2023) and a further 60 took part in focus groups early in 2024, to provide deeper insights into careers in the youth work sector.
Whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work
Together with the NYA’s Higher Education Institution (HEI) Annual Monitoring Report and National Youth Sector Census, the Workforce Survey offers a clearer picture than ever before of the youth sector and individuals involved in youth work delivery.
The Workforce Survey supports learning from the focus groups in which participants indicated that there were a dearth of applicants to fill vacant posts. The NYA has undertaken some initial analysis of advertised youth work roles across England and have identified in the region of 175 vacancies. Vacancies are highest in the North West (36 roles), closely followed by the East Midlands (34 roles) and London (31 roles). Recruitment challenges are in stark contrast to rising demand for the particular support provided by youth workers shown in the latest National Youth Sector Census, which found that 20 percent of organisations have a waiting list of up to three months and over 80 percent are prioritising mental health and wellbeing activities.
The NYA’s research aims to provide the evidence needed to galvanise key decisionmakers, including policy-makers, funders and training partners to work together to rebuild the youth work sector, which has seen a loss of 70 percent of council-funded provision due to over a decade of austerity cuts.
The survey revealed that 62 percent of full time respondents have a qualification which is recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (the JNC sets the terms and pay scales for youth workers), whilst only 44 percent of part-time youth workers have a JNC qualification and 40 percent have no qualification at all.
The older age group of those studying at Level 6 is reflected in the latest HEI annual monitoring report, which reveals that only 29 percent of students on a first-degree course are under 21 years, the lowest since 2013 – 14 when it was also 29 percent. Meanwhile, mature students are increasingly common with those in the 35 and above age group making up 18 percent of all students.
Alex Stutz, Head of Knowledge, NYA, said: “What the survey indicates is that as people move into more permanent roles, they are more likely to seek qualifications. It follows that by providing people with more secure contracts and opening up opportunities for career progression there will be a greater appetite for pursuing JNC recognised qualifications.
“What’s also interesting is that whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work.”
In terms of access to a professional youth worker qualification, the NYA’s HEI report sets out the changes across the university sector over the past year, notably the closure of some degree courses, but also the creation of a new Level 6 qualification route via the Youth Work apprenticeship, launched in September 2023, which is now offered by seven providers across the country.
Kevin Jones, Deputy Director Youth Work, NYA, said: “We know that there’s increasing demand for skilled youth workers, particularly among the allied sectors of Education and Health who recognise the value of relational practice in supporting young people to thrive The devastating cuts to spending on youth services for more than a decade, has resulted in the voluntary and charity sectors disproportionately providing services funded by a range of sources, and a reliance on shorter term grants.
“Part of our strategy is working with employers to support them to take advantage of the apprenticeship Levy scheme so that they can build the skills of existing staff and grow their teams without the burden of training fees. The number of postgraduate programmes has also risen steadily in the last four years from seven to 12 programmes, with more expected to open their doors in the coming year.
“The NYA is also calling on the new government to work with us to elevate the youth work profession on a par with teaching and social work and to develop and implement a long-term workforce strategy for youth services, in order to attract a pipeline of entrants and build a stronger, more skilled and sustainable sector.”
The research report highlights that a strong motivation to join the workforce is to have a positive impact on the lives of young people and almost two thirds want to ‘give something back’ having experienced youth work themselves. Therefore, it is perhaps unsurprising that, as access to youth work opportunities for young people has decreased, due to cuts in local authority spending since 2019, there has been a knock-on impact on recruitment into the workforce.
It also revealed that youth workers value youth work qualifications but, as many enter the profession as a volunteer, or move into youth work from allied professions, they may not pursue a recognised qualification until much later in their career when they have secured more permanent roles.[/vc_column_text]
Whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work
Together with the NYA’s Higher Education Institution (HEI) Annual Monitoring Report and National Youth Sector Census, the Workforce Survey offers a clearer picture than ever before of the youth sector and individuals involved in youth work delivery.
The Workforce Survey supports learning from the focus groups in which participants indicated that there were a dearth of applicants to fill vacant posts. The NYA has undertaken some initial analysis of advertised youth work roles across England and have identified in the region of 175 vacancies. Vacancies are highest in the North West (36 roles), closely followed by the East Midlands (34 roles) and London (31 roles). Recruitment challenges are in stark contrast to rising demand for the particular support provided by youth workers shown in the latest National Youth Sector Census, which found that 20 percent of organisations have a waiting list of up to three months and over 80 percent are prioritising mental health and wellbeing activities.
The NYA’s research aims to provide the evidence needed to galvanise key decisionmakers, including policy-makers, funders and training partners to work together to rebuild the youth work sector, which has seen a loss of 70 percent of council-funded provision due to over a decade of austerity cuts.
The survey revealed that 62 percent of full time respondents have a qualification which is recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (the JNC sets the terms and pay scales for youth workers), whilst only 44 percent of part-time youth workers have a JNC qualification and 40 percent have no qualification at all.
The older age group of those studying at Level 6 is reflected in the latest HEI annual monitoring report, which reveals that only 29 percent of students on a first-degree course are under 21 years, the lowest since 2013 – 14 when it was also 29 percent. Meanwhile, mature students are increasingly common with those in the 35 and above age group making up 18 percent of all students.
Alex Stutz, Head of Knowledge, NYA, said: “What the survey indicates is that as people move into more permanent roles, they are more likely to seek qualifications. It follows that by providing people with more secure contracts and opening up opportunities for career progression there will be a greater appetite for pursuing JNC recognised qualifications.
“What’s also interesting is that whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work.”
In terms of access to a professional youth worker qualification, the NYA’s HEI report sets out the changes across the university sector over the past year, notably the closure of some degree courses, but also the creation of a new Level 6 qualification route via the Youth Work apprenticeship, launched in September 2023, which is now offered by seven providers across the country.
Kevin Jones, Deputy Director Youth Work, NYA, said: “We know that there’s increasing demand for skilled youth workers, particularly among the allied sectors of Education and Health who recognise the value of relational practice in supporting young people to thrive The devastating cuts to spending on youth services for more than a decade, has resulted in the voluntary and charity sectors disproportionately providing services funded by a range of sources, and a reliance on shorter term grants.
“Part of our strategy is working with employers to support them to take advantage of the apprenticeship Levy scheme so that they can build the skills of existing staff and grow their teams without the burden of training fees. The number of postgraduate programmes has also risen steadily in the last four years from seven to 12 programmes, with more expected to open their doors in the coming year.
“The NYA is also calling on the new government to work with us to elevate the youth work profession on a par with teaching and social work and to develop and implement a long-term workforce strategy for youth services, in order to attract a pipeline of entrants and build a stronger, more skilled and sustainable sector.”
Key findings of the NYA’s Workforce Survey:
- Over half (59%) of respondents have worked in the sector for 10 or more years
- Only 6% had worked in the sector for less than a year
- Only slightly over a third (37%) are professional youth workers (have a Level 6 / degree level qualification)
- The East of England has the lowest proportion of Level 6 professional youth workers (18%)
- The North East has the highest proportion of respondents with a Level 6 qualification (53%) followed by North West (53%) and Yorkshire and The Humber, West Midlands and South West (each 41% respectively)
The research report highlights that a strong motivation to join the workforce is to have a positive impact on the lives of young people and almost two thirds want to ‘give something back’ having experienced youth work themselves. Therefore, it is perhaps unsurprising that, as access to youth work opportunities for young people has decreased, due to cuts in local authority spending since 2019, there has been a knock-on impact on recruitment into the workforce.
It also revealed that youth workers value youth work qualifications but, as many enter the profession as a volunteer, or move into youth work from allied professions, they may not pursue a recognised qualification until much later in their career when they have secured more permanent roles.
Whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work
Together with the NYA’s Higher Education Institution (HEI) Annual Monitoring Report and National Youth Sector Census, the Workforce Survey offers a clearer picture than ever before of the youth sector and individuals involved in youth work delivery.
The Workforce Survey supports learning from the focus groups in which participants indicated that there were a dearth of applicants to fill vacant posts. The NYA has undertaken some initial analysis of advertised youth work roles across England and have identified in the region of 175 vacancies. Vacancies are highest in the North West (36 roles), closely followed by the East Midlands (34 roles) and London (31 roles). Recruitment challenges are in stark contrast to rising demand for the particular support provided by youth workers shown in the latest National Youth Sector Census, which found that 20 percent of organisations have a waiting list of up to three months and over 80 percent are prioritising mental health and wellbeing activities.
The NYA’s research aims to provide the evidence needed to galvanise key decisionmakers, including policy-makers, funders and training partners to work together to rebuild the youth work sector, which has seen a loss of 70 percent of council-funded provision due to over a decade of austerity cuts.
The survey revealed that 62 percent of full time respondents have a qualification which is recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (the JNC sets the terms and pay scales for youth workers), whilst only 44 percent of part-time youth workers have a JNC qualification and 40 percent have no qualification at all.
The older age group of those studying at Level 6 is reflected in the latest HEI annual monitoring report, which reveals that only 29 percent of students on a first-degree course are under 21 years, the lowest since 2013 – 14 when it was also 29 percent. Meanwhile, mature students are increasingly common with those in the 35 and above age group making up 18 percent of all students.
Alex Stutz, Head of Knowledge, NYA, said: “What the survey indicates is that as people move into more permanent roles, they are more likely to seek qualifications. It follows that by providing people with more secure contracts and opening up opportunities for career progression there will be a greater appetite for pursuing JNC recognised qualifications.
“What’s also interesting is that whilst youth workers are working with a wide range of professionals from other disciplines to meet the needs of young people (with 34 percent engaging with colleagues in their local council, health professionals or the arts), respondents didn’t feel that other professionals working with young people understand the value of youth work.”
In terms of access to a professional youth worker qualification, the NYA’s HEI report sets out the changes across the university sector over the past year, notably the closure of some degree courses, but also the creation of a new Level 6 qualification route via the Youth Work apprenticeship, launched in September 2023, which is now offered by seven providers across the country.
Kevin Jones, Deputy Director Youth Work, NYA, said: “We know that there’s increasing demand for skilled youth workers, particularly among the allied sectors of Education and Health who recognise the value of relational practice in supporting young people to thrive The devastating cuts to spending on youth services for more than a decade, has resulted in the voluntary and charity sectors disproportionately providing services funded by a range of sources, and a reliance on shorter term grants.
“Part of our strategy is working with employers to support them to take advantage of the apprenticeship Levy scheme so that they can build the skills of existing staff and grow their teams without the burden of training fees. The number of postgraduate programmes has also risen steadily in the last four years from seven to 12 programmes, with more expected to open their doors in the coming year.
“The NYA is also calling on the new government to work with us to elevate the youth work profession on a par with teaching and social work and to develop and implement a long-term workforce strategy for youth services, in order to attract a pipeline of entrants and build a stronger, more skilled and sustainable sector.”
