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Study for a degree while developing your practice in the workplace. Gain the wide range of skills and knowledge required in community and youth work. Qualify as a professional (JNC) youth worker and change the lives of young people.
This community and youth work course will allow you to use and develop your practice in the workplace and learn off the job in order to graduate and qualify as a professional (JNC) youth worker.
An apprenticeship route represents an excellent alternative way to engage with professional education. As an apprentice, you will undertake specific practice experience to meet your own individual learning needs, as well as demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship standard; the domains of the National Occupational Standards for Youth Work at Level 6 and the criticality needed to operate as a leader in the delivery of anti-oppressive youth work practice.
Just like the practice of community and youth work, this course has been designed in a creative way and offers much more than traditional lecture and essay learning – engaging professional development is the central focus for our learning experiences and exciting curriculum.
Learning will take place both within your workplace (employer based) and on campus in Sunderland. Your on campus learning will reflect the collaborative and empowering nature of community and youth work – so expect a lot of dialogue, reflection and group work. As an apprentice, your employer based learning could evolve in some surprising places, such as around a pool table, on a walk, in a community café, or in a multi-agency meeting.
Throughout your degree, you'll have one-to-one support from a designated lecturer who will support your progress from Freshers' week to graduation.
The course utilises a variety of assessment methods including written assignments (reports, essays, reflections); individual, paired and group presentations; professional discussions; and the construction of portfolios. This broad range of assessment strategies encompasses the skills required within the community and youth work profession, allowing you to develop the relevant competencies while gradually increasing your confidence during the course.
Sheryl Johnson was put forward for the Integrated Degree Apprenticeship in Social Work by her manager. Despite juggling her full-time job and studying with gruelling hospital treatment, she graduated with a First Class Honours degree, and is now enrolled onto the MSc Inequality and Society.
Read more about Sheryl's journey
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We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.
Applicants must hold Maths and English GCSE at a minimum of Grade C or numerical grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent).
As well as meeting these academic requirements, you must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a youth work setting where you have day to day contact with young people, as well as a breadth of learning opportunities across the full range of knowledge, skills and behaviours within the apprenticeship standard.
It is recommended that you will have completed a minimum of 100 hours of practical work with young people and/or communities prior to starting the course.
Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and government top-up to pay tuition and professional fees of higher apprenticeships. For smaller employers, the government pays 95%, with the remainder co-invested by the business.
For a discussion around your specific requirements please call 0191 515 3361 or email apprenticeships@sunderland.ac.uk.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Qualified community and youth workers are in high demand. With a varied repertoire of value-based and practice-related skills, community and youth workers find employment throughout local authorities and the voluntary, charity, and social enterprise sectors.
As a qualified professional, you’ll be eligible for the higher levels of salary scales set by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers.