Youth workers of tomorrow have been given the opportunity to gain work placements and make contacts at a special networking event.
The Wrexham Glyndwr Youth and Community team, in partnership with the Work Related Learning team, hosted the annual placement Marketplace event for students at the University’s Sports Hall this month.
Placement providers based within the local community, and further afield, were invited to attend the campus, to meet with the Youth and Community work students and showcase their placement opportunities.
This enabled the students to attend mini and informal interviews with placement providers in the sectors in which they had an interest.
Speaking about the event, Youth and Community Work lecturer Yasmin Washbrook, said: “Across the Youth and Community work programmes, placements experience accounts for 800 to 900 hours and must be completed across all programme levels from foundation right up to Level 6 or Level 7, in line with PSRB requirements.
“The marketplace ensures that the Youth and Community work students are offered opportunities to obtain practical work experience, in a field of their choosing; enabling them to link theory to practice and go on to graduate with a good quality of practice experience prior to joining the youth and community work field, as qualified professional youth workers.
“In many cases, our students have obtained paid employment as a result of a positive placement experience, developing the confidence of the Youth and Community student and enhancing their knowledge of the sector.”
The University has also contributed to the final report for the Interim Youth Board for Wales, through Dr Simon Stewart, Dean of the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, and a former youth worker.
The report highlights opportunities for career progression within youth work, and can be read in full here – https://gov.wales/interim-youth-work-board-report-time-deliver-young-people-wales-final-report
Dr Stewart said: “The board were keen to ensure the voices of the sector were heard, and the Strategy and Participation groups have been key to that.
“A focus on youth work as a profession that enables career progression is a very key feature of the report and we’ve definitely enhanced opportunities for graduates locally, regionally and nationally.”
The Youth and Community Work, and Work Related Learning teams, would like to extend thanks to the placement providers who attended the Marketplace event.
They were; Denbighshire Youth service, Itaca, Youth Shedz, Abergele, Wrexham County Council: Play Team and Youth Homelessness Team, Bridge Foyer, Chester, the Digital Youth Work team, Wrexham Glyndwr University, Yellow and Blue, Wrexham, XLM mentoring, Ysgol Clywedog, Leonard Cheshire, North Wales & North West Educate Group, Wrexham, Tin Can (Church Army), Wrexham, Adferiad Recovery, North Wales, and Shropshire Youth Association
The team would also like to thank providers who were unavailable to attend but continue to maintain professional relationships and offer placements to our students including; CAIA Park Partnership, The Venture, Erddig Youth Club, Blacon Adventure Playground, to name but a few.
If you are interested in becoming a qualified youth and community work practitioner, visit the Wrexham Glyndwr Youth and Community work page to view programmes on offer https://glyndwr.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-courses/youth-and-community-work-jnc-with-foundation-year/ .
If you are interested in becoming a Youth and Community work placement provider and would like to support the work of our future Youth and Community work practitioners, please contact: Michelle Byron, Placement officer for Work Related Learning, Michelle.byron@glyndwr.ac.uk or Yasmin Washbrook Yasmin.washbrook@glyndwr.ac.uk
