Community Youth Work
Embark on a professional career working with young people in the community. Community youth work involves working with young people in their own communities. A professional community youth worker will help young people build skills to navigate their social world and their future. They will engage in activities that have a learning purpose but are also fun. Community youth workers build connections with young people to help them develop their thinking and emotions, help them to express themselves and take action to shape society.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Ulster University |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Ulster University |
Duration
The duration of the course is three academic years full-time.
Attendance is approximately three days each week with additional online learning opportunities. Placements are full-time.
Due to the change of youth work professional training within UK and Ireland it is now necessary to possess a degree for professional recognition.
Entry Requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
78 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be Higher Level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher Level or 04 if studied at Ordinary Level.
Careers / Further progression
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course are now working for:
• Education Authority
• Start360
• YMCA
• Youth Action NI
• Youth Initiatives
• Youth Justice Agency
• Include Youth
Job roles
With this degree you could become:
• Project Co-ordinator in Youth Work
• Area Youth Worker
• Youth Club Manager
• Residential Support Worker
• Detached Youth Worker
• Youth Work Trainer
• Tutor for Alternative Education
Career options
A qualified Community Youth Worker may take up positions with a wide range of employers providing services to young people. In Northern Ireland these range from statutory organisations to voluntary and community agencies. Completion of the degree will also provide you with opportunities to progress to postgraduate study in youth work or related areas.
This programme is endorsed by NSETS (North South Education and Training Standards committee) and confers professional status on those who successfully complete the three years of study.
Further information
Start date: September 2024
Deadlines for on-time applications
2024 entry application deadlines
For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests
Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing
Overview
Embark on a professional career working with young people in the community.
Summary
Community youth work involves working with young people in their own communities. A professional community youth worker will help young people build skills to navigate their social world and their future. They will engage in activities that have a learning purpose but are also fun. Community youth workers build connections with young people to help them develop their thinking and emotions, help them to express themselves and take action to shape society.
The programme provides students with the professional Community Youth Work qualification, which is a JNC endorsed qualification, recognised by NSETS, (North South Education and Training Standards committee). This professional qualification is recognised by employers throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This course equips youth workers with a wide range of skills, values and knowledge to work in professional settings with many agencies that work with young people.
About
The programme integrates teaching and practice in its approach to learning. There are three work-based assessed practice modules over the three-year period, which last for a minimum of 10 weeks for approximately 25-30 hours per week. The modules of study reflect the need for students to develop knowledge and skills for practice. These include the context of youth work, foundations of youth work practice (interpersonal skills and informal education) psychology processes, sociology, social policy & management and supervision theory & practice. Community development and applied independent study also form key elements of the programme.
The staff team are experienced youth work practitioners with a range of specialisms. Youth justice, gender-based work, community relations, sexual orientation and mental health are some of the research themes which the team have focused upon.
This programme is endorsed by NSETS (North South Education and Training Standards committee) and confers professional status on those who successfully complete the three years of study.
Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year 1
The Context of Youth Work
The Foundations for Youth Work Practice
Assessed Practice Level 4
Applied Socio-Political Perspectives
Year 2
The Northern Ireland Context - Transforming Communities
Power; Inequality and anti-discriminatory practice
Assessed Practice Level 5
Pedagogy of Youth Work
Year 3
Critical Thinking and Professional Development
Study Of Applied Practice (SOAP)
Assessed Practice Level 6
Ethical Leadership, Management and Supervision
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Professional recognition
North/South Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth Work (NSETS).
Endorsed by the North/South Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth Work (NSETS) (JNC Recognised) for the purpose of professional qualification.
Work placement / study abroad
There are three (300 hour) placements throughout the course, one per year. The first placement resides in a traditional full-time youth work setting. The second is aimed at challenging the student further, with an option of working outside of Northern Ireland. In the past students have had work placements in South Africa, Australia, Iceland and USA. The final placement involves an area of work which the student hasn't experienced or in which they want to specialise. Throughout the course, the placements represent 25% of the content and are central to the learning process.
Ulster University,
2-24 York Street,
Belfast
BT15 1AP
T: 02870 123 456