Rohan Hyett supports young people across Barking and Dagenham as a Health Youth Worker, leading an LGBTQ+ youth group, a peer support programme and other community sessions.
Alongside his role, he is completing the Level 6 Youth Worker Degree Apprenticeship with Captiva Learning, strengthening years of hands‑on experience with formal professional training.
Rohan’s journey into youth work began in Scouts, where he progressed from participant to young leader and discovered how much he enjoyed supporting younger peers and building welcoming spaces. This led him into SEND education, where the informal, relationship‑based approach suited him well. A later role at Sheffield Children’s Hospital highlighted the contrast of a more structured environment and helped him appreciate the value of youth‑led practice.
Rohan Hyett,
Health Youth Worker and Level 6 Youth Worker Degree Apprentice
He then worked in residential care with care leavers and unaccompanied asylum‑seeking young people, collaborating with social workers and multi‑agency teams and gaining a deeper understanding of the skill and impact involved in youth work.
After moving to London, Rohan stepped into his current role supporting LGBTQ+ young people and facilitating peer support groups – work he values most because young people choose to attend, shaping the authentic, voluntary relationships at the heart of his practice.
“Young people come because they want to. That completely changes the dynamic. They choose the space and they are in the driving seat.”
Multiple learning styles
Despite six or seven years of experience, Rohan lacked a formal youth work qualification. The Youth Work apprenticeship offered multiple learning styles, practical application, and ongoing support.
“It is so practical. I can link the theory to real interactions I have had with young people. The pieces click together.”
Crucially, the Level 6 Youth Work Degree Apprenticeship with Captiva Learning is fully funded through his employer’s apprenticeship levy. This meant no training costs to the organisation and no tuition debt for him, removing barriers that might have prevented him from upskilling.
Mix of professional contexts
Rohan says that one of the most valuable aspects of the apprenticeship has been the community of practice formed across the national cohort.
“We learn so much from each other. It reminds you that you are part of something bigger.”
His fellow apprentices include young learners just starting out, practitioners with years of experience, people working in local authorities, youth justice, LGBTQ+ groups, and career changers entering the sector for the first time. That mix of ages, backgrounds, and professional contexts gives every session depth and richness. It mirrors the diversity of the youth work workforce itself.
Rohan’s employer plays an important role in making the apprenticeship work.
“My employer always gives me the time I need. They see it as an investment in my future and in the organisation.”
The training provider, Captiva Learning, has also created an environment where no question feels too small and every apprentice’s experience is valued.
For the first time, Rohan can imagine future leadership roles. Modules on professionalism, strategy, and management have opened his eyes to pathways he had not previously considered.
Giving back through the apprenticeship
Rohan’s journey reflects the growth in demand for qualified youth workers.
“Youth work is a skilled profession. Apprenticeships give it the recognition it deserves.”
Someone once gave Rohan his first break. Now, through his apprenticeship, he is becoming the youth worker who will offer that same opportunity and belief to the next generation.
