BA (Hons) Youth & Community Work (JNC)

What you will study

This is a course for those wanting to work within informal education, examining youth and community theory and developing your practice in working with young people and communities through participation, empowerment and partnership working.

There are opportunities to develop youth and community work skills internationally both in Europe and further afield; taking into account the impact of emerging trends in Welsh, UK, European and global youth policy and practice.

YEAR 1 (LEVEL 4)

Your first year is all about learning about the key ideas that influence Youth and Community Work practice and becoming a practitioner.  You will then apply and evaluate these key ideas in practice whilst working towards developing your Youth Work National Occupational Standards competencies.

MODULES

• Understanding Theory in Youth and Community Work Practice (Core): During this module, you will develop a core knowledge of the values and principles of Youth and Community Work for application in professional practice. This will include learning and applying group work theory to create resources for practice; reflecting on your personal and professional development; examining ethical dilemmas in practice and evaluating how theory works in ‘real life’.
• Asset-Based Community Development (Core): In this module, you will explore the theory of Asset -Based Community Development and the role of the practitioner. This will include examining communities and any tensions that might exist and how you work with communities. You will determine how you might encourage community action by working with communities to identify their needs.
• Work with Young People and Others (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 100 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area A: Work with Young People and Others.  Example areas of practice are legal, regulatory and ethical compliance; multi-agency and collaboration work; and facilitating learning and engagement.
• Facilitating Learning and Development in Youth Work (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 200 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area B: Facilitate learning and development of young people through planning and implementing learning activities in youth work. Example areas of practice are working with groups; young people and digital media; citizenship; and advocacy. 

YEAR 2 (LEVEL 5)

Your second year is all about learning about the ‘big’ ideas that influence society and Youth and Community Work practice.  You will then apply and start to think critically about these ‘big’ ideas in practice whilst working towards developing your Youth Work National Occupational Standards competencies.

MODULES

• Critically Thinking About Youth and Community Work (Core): In this module, you will learn to think critically about the political, social, and global perspectives in Youth and Community Work, and how these perspectives influence contemporary practice.  By engaging with these ‘big’ ideas and how they impact on Youth and Community Work practice, you will be able to defend your role as an agent of social change.
• Connecting Research and Practice (Core): Your aim for this module is to design a piece of research that will inform Youth and Community Work practice.  You will learn how to write a literature review, how to choose relevant methodologies and research methods, and the importance of ethical research practices.  
• Work with Communities (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 100 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area F: Work with Communities. Example areas of practice are promoting the needs, rights and interests of communities; relating to different communities; and supporting inclusive and collective working.
• Inclusion, Equity and Young People’s Interests, and Health and Wellbeing (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 200 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area C: Actively demonstrate commitment to inclusion, equity and young people’s interests and health and wellbeing. Example areas of practice are; promoting young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health; promoting inclusion and diversity; safeguarding; and empowerment.

YEAR 3 (LEVEL 6)

Your final year is all about becoming a critically reflective practitioner and forming your professional identity as you prepare to become a graduate and professionally qualified Youth and Community Worker. 

MODULES

• Critical Perspectives in Education (Core): Over the course of this module, you will develop a critical awareness of the educative role of Youth and Community Workers.  You will examine the values and principles of Informal Education and the tensions that arise from applying these in everyday contemporary practice.  You will consider your professional identity as an educator, considering different perspectives on what education is for and who it serves best.
• Dissertation (Core): For this module, you will design and implement a small-scale research project to produce a dissertation. To complete your dissertation, you will evaluate existing research in your area of interest; identify and justify your choice of methodology and methods; and undertake ethical research and data analysis to form recommendations. These recommendations will inform future practice, policy, or theory.
• Plan and Implement Strategy and Youth Work Activities for Young People (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 100 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area D: Plan and Implement Strategy and Youth Work Activities for Young People. Example areas of practice are; Funding and resources; developing and influencing strategy; and monitoring and evaluation.
• Develop, Lead and Manage Self and Others (Core): This is a work-based learning module where you will practice in a Youth and Community work setting for 200 hours to demonstrate personal and professional development. You will do this by evidencing that you have met the practice competencies required in the Youth Work National Occupational Standards Area E: Develop, Lead and Manage Self and Others.  Example areas of practice are your ability to work as a critically effective practitioner; leadership; management; recruitment; and quality assurance.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.

Entry requirements & applying

Applicants need to have completed a relevant L3 qualification. Previous experience of 100 hours in a Youth and Community Work setting is required and must be evidenced. This can be gained in voluntary or paid work within the field of youth and community work. The programme team can advise students regarding volunteering and work experience opportunities if required.

All applicants considered suitable for the course will be interviewed, and those with disabilities or from relevant courses will automatically be offered an interview.

Many modules will require you to be working in, or have access to, a suitable youth and community work practice environment in order for you to contextualise your learning and complete the assessments.

You will also be required to complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance (previously known as CRB) so that a check can be made on your suitability for working with children and/or vulnerable adults

Teaching & Assessment

Teaching and learning

The degree is delivered using a unique Hy-Flex approach to learning. This means that students can join the classroom in person or join synchronously online to engage in the learning activities. Sessions are also recorded for students to engage with alongside asynchronous online learning activities to scaffold the learning from the module. 

Assessments are designed with the dual aims of supporting a student’s professional development and their academic understanding. This builds knowledge and skill from a belief that being an excellent practitioner means not only working with people, but also being able to express yourself in a range of ways that includes writing reports, documents and essays based on the collection and analysis of evidence to build an argument.

Throughout the programme, and within individual modules, a variety of assessment methods are employed which seek to demonstrate equity with respect to the individual needs, learning styles and interests of students. The forms of assessment are selected to ensure that they characterise the academic level of the modules, and are designed to enable students to explore the philosophies, concepts and theories underpinning youth work and community work, through the exploration and analysis of issues pertinent to these areas of social provision.

The transference of learning from one module to another is encouraged, and the core modules provide a focus for this. As such, assessment methods on this programme are used to develop a student’s confidence and ability to carry out a range of transferable skills, which are considered useful in both academic work and professional practice.

Assessments on this programme will take on a variety of forms, including essays, presentations, reflections, portfolios and contributing to online forums.

Career prospects

Successful completion of this course leads to a JNC professional Youth Work Qualification, which is requirement for registration with the Education Work Force Council in Wales. This is also the professional qualification required for most Youth Work jobs in England and Scotland. You will complete 900 hours of placement on the course, which provides you with relevant work experience in the Youth and Community Work sector.

Graduates from the course work in a variety of settings from the local authority, voluntary and community sector, and education providers across England, Wales and internationally, including working in projects and services in the following areas: 

• Young Carers 
• Care Leavers and Young People in Care 
• Young Offenders 
• Hospital Youth Work 
• Mental Health 
• Youth Homelessness and Housing 
• Youth Sports and Health Development
• Youth Clubs and Street Based Youth Work 
• Child Sexual Exploitation 
• Outdoor Education 
• Community Development 
• Mentoring and Advocacy 
• Young People who have disabilities

Fees & funding

You do not have to pay your tuition fees upfront.

The fees you pay and the support available will depend on a number of different factors. Full information can be found on our fees & finance pages. You will also find information about what your fees include in the fee FAQs.

All fees are subject to any changes in government policy, view our undergraduate fees.

Programme specification

You can see the full programme specification here.

Accommodation

If you’re looking for a place to stay while you study then take a look at our accommodation pages to get more information on your options, including our on-campus halls of residence Wrexham Village.

Subject to validation

Courses shown as “subject to validation” are new courses which are in development and the details of these courses are in the process of being finalised through the approval cycle, known as the ‘validation’ process. As soon as the programmes are validated the details of the course will be confirmed. The majority of new courses that are still ‘subject to validation’ are approved by the validation process; however, this is not guaranteed and should the course not go ahead as planned, or be significantly amended, you will be informed by the university and assistance will be provided to those who have been offered a place to find a suitable alternative course either at Wrexham University or at another provider.