Workforce Development Group
(WDG)
The Workforce Development Group (previously known as Regional Trainers Group) is a longstanding operational group, which aims to give a strong lead regarding youth work workforce development issues for both Local Authority and voluntary sector. A collection of workforce related resources and policy documents are also held at the YWU.
The group is primarily attended by LA youth workforce personnel together with HE youth work trogramme colleagues. Voluntary sector involvement is welcomed but due to capacity issues attendance can be difficult and so workforce briefings are provided at VYON meetings and in the regular VYON bulletins. The current WDG Chair is Paul Vincent from Hull Young People's Service and the deputy is Helen Welch from Leeds IYS.
WDG members attend quarterly meetings and in addition meet annually for a more in-depth focus on current issues. From the 2009 conference and throughout the year members voiced anxiety about various developments and the impact on the youth work field of:
- qualifications reform and
- broader children and young people's workforce reform driven by CWDC.
With that in mind a small task group met from February - April and produced 'A Regional Workforce Development Framework for Youth Work.' This document was launched at the WDG 2010 conference held on May 12th at Huddersfield University when an audience of IYSS and Youth Work Leads, voluntary youth organisations, broader C&YP's colleagues and WDG members welcomed the document as a helpful tool to inform workforce planning. This live / working document will be subject to change as developments take place, and can be accessed below.
The WDG group maintains an active overview of related developments, monitoring various reports and organisation's work and seeking involvement where appropriate. Currently, the Director is part of the NYA co-ordinated group focused on developing new Youth Support Worker awards. This development work involves a range of UK based awarding bodies, as well as Lifelong Learning (LLUK) and the aim is to develop units and qualifications, based on the 2008 Professional and National Occupational Standards (PNOS), which can be registered on the new Qualifications and Credit Framework.
Additionally, the YWU has been invited to attend a CWDC co-ordinated focus group on the Youth Professional Status and on the Skills Development Framework; both areas of concern and interest to youth work colleagues. Updates on this and other developments will be sent out to WDG members and those who attended the May conference. Group members are also involved in piloting other areas of the CWDC's Young People's Workforce reform programme, e.g.graduate fast track, apprenticeships etc. and members from Rotherham and North Yorkshire will seek to inform the group about learning from the pilot.
The YWU also is involved in delivering various leadership and management programmes with a consortium lead by FPM, which is also part of the Young People's Workforce reform programme. In the autumn the YWU will host a management Development programme MDP programme to facilitate attendance by those LAs and VYOs not able to host their own programme. From June onwards the YWU will also co-ordinate the CWDC funded NCVYS led third sector capacity building project which aims to deliver 25,000 units of training nationally before March 2011. Details of this will be communicated via WDG and VYON.
Workforce Development Framework
Terms of Reference
NRYWU's Good Practice Guidelines
Professional and National Occupational Standards
Subject Benchmarks
How Y&H involve C&YP in WD
NCVYS Qualifications in Youth Work
WDG - Minutes of Meeting