In reviewing the arguments for and against professionalisation of youth work Bessant (2004a) laments the “dearth of research” (p. 19) in youth work and youth studies as a discipline, which is vital if youth work seeks to secure recognition as a unique profession with its own “discrete body of knowledge, skills and expertise” (Bessant, 2004b, p. 28). She suggests that a professionalisation of the industry may lead to “quality education” for youth workers with education providers “required to meet the educational specifications of the professional body” in order to assist in the regulation of youth work practice and the ongoing development of the sector. (p. 19).
A survey of over 100 youth workers in Western Australia 25 years ago (White, Omelczuk & Underwood, 1991b) found that almost half of the respondents had no formal tertiary qualifications, whilst one quarter had completed a youth work course at a tertiary institution (TAFE or University). The remaining youth workers held qualifications in associated studies such as social work, “community welfare studies, child care studies, psychology, residential and community care, and general liberal arts and social science courses” (White et al, 1991, p. 48). A breakdown between metropolitan and rural youth workers demonstrated that almost twice as many metropolitan youth workers had a tertiary qualification and it was suggested that there was difficulty in attracting qualified workers to rural areas, in addition to a lack of available education and training opportunities. The authors found that there were “a significant number of youth workers without qualifications employed in the youth emergency accommodation services” (White et al, 1991, p. 8) but stated that it wasn’t clear why, and that “proportionately, the emergency accommodation services and the drop-in centres, employ significantly fewer workers with qualifications in youth work or social work than the other services” (White et al, 1991, p. 8).
The findings of this study reflect the state of youth worker education, training and the general level of qualifications held by youth workers in Australia at that time. The sector had difficulty attracting degree-qualified workers with rates of remuneration substantially below average ordinary wages (Emslie, 2009) – particularly those rates for entry-level frontline roles. Support roles in accommodation services and youth refuges, which often included overnight shifts that were not fully paid, and after- school drop-in centres that often offered only part-time hours or casual positions – both of which may have been viewed as ‘baby-sitting’ roles - were filled instead by those willing or able to work with young people but lacking the qualifications, skills and experience required for second-tier roles such as case managers and program coordinators. As these support roles usually needed to be filled with some urgency there often was not the luxury of time to await a more qualified candidate, hence, these entry-level roles were often the foot in the door for many unqualified youth workers at that time.
Experience then became currency - the content-filler for a qualification-free resume, a way to get a foot in the door - to gain experience with the possibility of progression. Some choosing to continue within the field used this opportunity to undertake study and gain qualifications related to youth work in order to move into second-tier roles and beyond such as general case management, program coordination and management roles, or associated policy and research roles.
Without a professional body anchoring required qualifications for licensing the practice of youth work in Australia, various routes to participating and engaging in youth work training and professional development have emerged (Wojecki, 2007, p. 222). By the mid-1990’s, three states in Australia offered formal education and training specifically designed for youth work (Maunders & Broadbent, 1995) via one to two year Certificate or Diploma study programs provided by the technical and further education (TAFE) sector, or via a three-year Degree program at University. By the mid-2000’s youth work degree courses were offered at five universities in Australia (Bowie, 2004). Universities in Western Australia and Victoria continue to offer Youth Work specific degrees, whilst others offer youth studies within degrees such as Community Services, Community Welfare or Human Services degrees. Certificate and Diploma studies in Youth Work continue to be offered through TAFE colleges throughout Australia, as well as through the Commonwealth Youth
Programme (Bowie, 2004) and numerous accredited private colleges and vocational education and training (VET) providers.
The debate that has emerged in terms of preparation for professional practice for youth work concerns the contrast between VET and TAFE competency-based (Broadbent, 1997:1998; Corney, 2004; Emslie, 2009; Bessant, 2012; Cooper, 2013) ‘value-neutral’ community services training programs that are delivered via certificate and diploma study programs, compared to university degree study programs underpinned by values frameworks (Corney, 2004). The former considered “class and practicum-based” and “largely content/curriculum driven” (Bowie, 2005) are seemingly “aimed at developing skilled technicians rather than ethical and reflective youth work practitioners” (Bowie, 2004, p. 37). In contrast, the youth work degree programs offered by Australian universities (Bowie, 2004; Corney, 2004) are underpinned by theory and practice (Corney, 2004) and regarded as ‘value-laden’ ~ these values described by Cooper et. al. (2014) as including “a strong commitment to social justice, social equality, democratic leadership and inclusive decision-making” (p. 5).
Bessant (2005) and Corney (2004) argue for a values-based degree-level education that will equip youth workers with a theoretical framework to underpin their practice, making them “better able to serve” (Bessant, 2005, p. 9) the youth work sector in contrast to youth workers receiving competency-based community services training, purportedly, lacking a values framework. Approaching the debate from a VET competency-based perspective Wojecki (2007) contends that successful learning and development lies not only in the specifics of a youth work curriculum, but also in the method of its delivery. He argues that “the required theoretical knowledge, values, skills and attributes linked to desired qualifications” (p. 222) are located within the competencies, and shifts the focus from “the what to the how” of youth work education proposing ways in which “a VET youth work curriculum might be envisioned and delivered” by drawing upon theories of workplace learning in order to demonstrate that “sites of youth work are sites of learning” (p. 223).
Whilst individuals lacking specific youth work qualifications, or associated qualifications, continue to gain employment within the field (Bessant, 2012), the last decade has seen a significant increase in demand for youth workers to come to the role with at least entry-level qualifications, or required to be undertaking study to gain
qualifications specific, or related, to the field. Emslie (2013) emphatically asserts that “to progress professionalization it is critical to require someone to have a specialist youth work education to be able to practice or teach youth work” and that “a quality education has long been considered a precondition for good practice in most fields and youth work should be no different” (p. 132).
The arguments for and against professionalising youth work lead quickly to the call for youth work to better articulate what it is and what it does. There is a sense that youth workers need to bring more rigour and theoretical underpinning to analysis of their work (Barwick, 2006, p. 5).
The debate about what constitutes quality youth work practitioner training and education is an important one, particularly emphasising the need for an agreement that determines the basic professional requirements for those entering the field. Yet, absent from this discussion are the voices of youth work practitioners, along with accounts of their experiences as they enter and engage in the field of practice. Whilst the arguments for the ‘ideal’ educational pathway continue, and the calls for professionalisation and the creation of a professional accrediting body strengthen, youth workers from a broad range of educational backgrounds will continue to enter the field (Bessant, 2012). Accounts of their experiences in applying the skills and knowledge with which they arrive have the potential to make an important contribution to the debate.