BA (Honours) Working with Young People
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Degree
- Code
- B55
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Made up of
- 360 credit points
Description
This degree is suitable for experienced practitioners working directly with young people (aged 13–19 years) in informal settings or with informal educational roles in a formal environment. It will enhance your career by providing the knowledge and skills required for working with young people, giving professional qualifications and preparing you to engage with further research, study, enquiry and practice where knowledge of working with young people is required.
You can also achieve further professional and academic qualifications while progressing through this degree. The Certificate in Working with Young People (C54) is validated by the National Youth Agency to give youth support worker status and, until 2010, the Foundation Degree in Working with Young People (G03) gives professional youth worker status (recognised by the JNC). The foundation degree is currently recognised as a professional qualifying route in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Professional recognition for this degree is being sought in time for the change in professional qualifying requirements from August 2010. From that date, anyone starting a professional qualifying course of study will need an honours degree for professional youth work status – those starting before August 2010 will still achieve professional status with the foundation degree. However, the honours degree is available before this date for those who feel they would like to study to a higher level in working with young people. It is also available as a ‘top-up’ for those who are professionally qualified but who would like to achieve an honours degree.
Planning your studies
The degree includes a specialist vocational component that is underpinned by broad-based academic learning. You must be a current practitioner in the field with at least six months recent and current experience and you should be able to verify your experience, skills and knowledge. During your studies you will need to be working directly with young people aged 13–19 years for a minimum of five hours a week in an informal education setting, in either a paid or voluntary capacity. This is necessary to complete the work-related and work-based assignments within this degree. Confirmation of this will need to be provided at the point of registration. If your work setting is unable to provide appropriate support, you will need to contact the course team who may be able to help you in identifying suitably qualified staff to support you in the workplace. For further information about the work-based element of the degree, see the individual course descriptions.
The degree consists of 360 credit points; 120 at Level 1, 120 at Level 2 and 120 at Level 3. You must obtain the required 360 credit points within ten years. The minimum study time to complete the BA (Hons) Working with Young People is three years, which would be equivalent to full-time study and would require exceptional commitment to studying.
We recommend that you follow the courses in the order below, as they are designed to follow on from each other. In particular the work-based courses build on the knowledge in the work-related courses. If you have substantial prior experience and feel ready to study at higher education level then you may want to consider one or both of the supported Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) courses – EZL131 or EZL132 – as these will help to speed up your study.
Anyone working with young people will need to meet the ‘fit person’ criteria for doing so, including obtaining the necessary criminal record clearance required for the setting and country in which they are working. It is your responsibility and that of your employer to ensure that you meet these requirements. You should contact the relevant agency in your country for more information if you are in doubt about your eligibility or to find out more.
You will need to use a computer to study this degree and your information and communication technology (ICT) skills will be developed through activities as you progress through the different courses. You will be given information about how to access and participate in computer forums that will support your learning. ICT skills will also form part of the material covered in the work-based learning courses. If you are not confident about your ICT skills, you will still be able to study the degree but will need to aim to develop this area of skill and knowledge early on in your study.
You will be invited to tutorials with your personal tutor. We strongly recommend that you attend these as evidence suggests that they help with successfully completing the courses. A range of assessment methods will be used, including written assignments, end-of-course examinations, observations of practice and submitting evidence based on your practice. You will also be required to attend compulsory day schools associated with the work-based learning courses.
Career relevance and employability
This honours degree is seeking professional validation from the Education and Training Standards subcommittee of the National Youth Agency. This means that graduates will be nationally qualified (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) as professional youth workers in accordance with the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC). This is in keeping with the new guidelines for professional status that come into effect in August 2010. The award is also seeking professional recognition in Scotland.
It gives a good basis for entering a variety of fields of work with young people – in particular those in youth support services, the voluntary sector or schools, and those developing as part of the integrated children and young peoples’ workforce. The degree is work-based and involves supervised and assessed practice with young people at each level of study. Students carry out their practice primarily in their own work setting but need to demonstrate during their study that they have practised in an alternative setting.
Each country in the UK has recently published a strategy for the development of youth work or work with young people and the development of a workforce with the skills and expertise to help deliver these strategies is currently of prime importance. Students on this degree will be among those at the forefront of contributing to this important policy and practice area.
For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.
Courses
For this honours degree you require:
360 points from the following compulsory courses:
| Level 1 compulsory courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
30 | Oct 2010 |
| or | ||
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
60 | Oct 2010 |
|
30 | Oct 2010 |
| or | ||
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
| Level 2 compulsory course | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Oct 2010 |
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
| Level 3 compulsory courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Feb 2010 |
| A new 60-point Level 3 course planned for October 2012 |
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Credit transfer details for this qualification:
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Working with Young People degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony to collect your award certificate.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Award Regulations
- Introduction to the Award Regulations
- General Award Regulations
- BA (Honours) Working with Young People
- Schedule A to the Award Regulations
Student Regulations
The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.
How to register
To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.
About this page
An undergraduate qualification in Childhood and Youth, Education and Health and Social Care.
Study explained
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
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