As the Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body for youth work in England, the NYA is responsible for the quality assurance and compliance of all Joint Negotiating Committee JNC recognised qualifications at Levels 2, 3, 6 and 7
Quality assurance and validation
The Education and Training Standards (ETS) committee is a subcommittee of the NYA, responsible for setting the assessment standards and required content for Youth Support Worker qualifications at Levels 2 and 3 (working with ETS Wales). It also validates all university degree courses and works with partner jurisdictions to ensure consistent standards for qualifications.
We validate professional training programmes in England only. Programmes validated in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have mutual recognition arrangements in place so if your programme is recognised as professional status in one UK nation it will be recognised in all through processes agreed by the Joint Education and Training Standards Committee.
See a list of colleges and universities that offer a professional qualification in youth work here.
Validation of Youth Work degrees
If you are interested in seeking validation of a youth work degree at your Higher Education Institution, including the Level 6 Youth Worker Apprenticeship please refer to the Requirements for professional validation document below.
The National Workforce Officer can support you through the validation process, email validations@nya.org.uk
Details of Professional Validation Fees can be found below.
Requirements for professional validation
(commencing September 2025)
View the PDF document to find out more.
NYA Professional Validation Fees
As of July 2025, NYA charges the below for Professional Validation:
- Undergraduate or postgraduate programme – £4000 plus VAT
- Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes – £6000 plus VAT
Across the UK countries
For information on youth work and youth work training in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland contact:
Annual Monitoring Report
The ETS produces an annual monitoring report on validated training programmes for professional youth workers to map any learner trends.
The 2022/3 HEI annual monitoring report provides a clear picture of the professional youth work training landscape in England and helps to inform NYA’s workforce strategy, as well as enable HEIs to make informed decisions about the development of their youth work courses.
It shows that only 29 per cent of students on a first degree course are under 21 years of age, the lowest since 2013 – 14 when it was also 29 per cent. Meanwhile, mature students are increasingly common with those in the 35 and above age group making up 18 per cent of all students.
Other key findings:
- There are 18 undergraduate courses, although eight are paused or ‘teaching out’ and the number of students recruited to these courses has dropped from 182 to 117.
- The introduction of the new apprenticeship degrees introduced in September 2023 will increase the number of courses at undergraduate level from 2025.
- The number of postgraduate youth work programmes has risen from seven to 12 in the past four years, including a new programme in the East of England where no youth work course has been available since 2018.
- Completion rates for full time Level 6 students are notably higher than they have been at any point in the last five years, rising from 75 per cent to 87 per cent since last year.
- There is an upward trend in men training as youth workers, with men making up 28% of the student numbers compared with 21 per cent last year, with students of other genders making up 4 per cent of the student body.
Youth Support Worker qualifications
There are four qualifications in the suite of youth support worker qualifications.
- Level 2 Award in Youth Work Principles
- Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice
- Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice
- Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice
In England five Awarding Organisations are approved to certificate these qualifications. If you are training provider who is interested in delivering one of these qualifications, please contact the Awarding Organisations listed below.
National Occupational Standards for Youth Work
The ETS also reviews the National Occupational Standards for Youth Work, specifically within the context of English youth work policy, training and professional standards, and practice.
About the ETS committee
The ETS is chaired by NYA Trustee Breda Leyne and supported by NYA National Workforce Officer, Alia Pike.
The ETS has three membership categories:
- Representative Members are from organisations within the Youth Work sector who have an interest in the training and education of Youth Workers. Our current Representative Members are – Awarding Bodies Forum; ESB for Community Development; Institute for Youth Work; JNC Employers side; JNC Staff side; Regional Youth Work Units; Professional Association of Lecturers in Youth and Community Work; UK Youth; Unison; Unite.
- Wider Field Members are individuals from across the Youth Work sector who bring specialist knowledge and experience to the ETS Committee. We currently have wider field work members with specialisms in Christian Youth Work, Rural Youth Work, Residential Work and Urban Youth Work.
- Co-opted Members are those individuals who bring specific experience or knowledge and can make an additional positive contribution to the role of ETS for a time limited period.
If you have any questions about the ETS or would like to become a member please contact aliap@nya.org.uk
About the JNC
The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for youth and community workers is the body that sets the national framework used to grade and pay youth work jobs. The National Youth Agency is not part of the JNC and therefore does not have any influence on grade and pay for youth work jobs.
The JNC also negotiates pay and agrees terms and conditions of service. It consists of an employers’ side and staff side and ensures that all views within the youth and community field are represented. The JNC Secretariat of the Staff Side is Unite and for the Employers’ Side it is the Local Government Association (details below).
There are two grades within the JNC framework:
- Youth Support Worker
- Professional Youth Worker
The JNC recognises youth and community workers’ qualifications which have been professionally approved by the Education and Training Standards Committee (ETS) of the National Youth Agency. We endorse Youth Support Worker qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3, and Professional Youth Worker at Level 6 and Level 7.
Gaining a qualification that is endorsed by the National Youth Agency and recognised by the JNC ensures it is quality checked and fit for purpose. It helps develop youth work practitioners that can meet the needs of young people and employers in the youth work field.
Many people work with young people without JNC recognised qualifications, often with related qualifications or extensive experience of working with young people. This work is very valuable and contributes positively to the lives of young people. However, gaining qualifications specifically in youth work enables a worker to explore the theory behind youth work, the ethos, principles and follow evidenced best practice.
