For some people their youth can be the best and most exciting time of their lives, but for others it can be challenging.
Young people are amongst the most vulnerable people in our society and sometimes they need some extra help and guidance as they navigate their adolescence.
Often it’s a youth worker who steps in and works alongside a young person, advocating for their rights, supporting them to achieve their goals and helping them to create opportunities in their lives.
Why choose youth work?
Youth work can be a very rewarding career if you enjoy helping others and working with young people.
Chisholm youth work teacher Claire Kerr says this career path provides a unique opportunity to empower young people and to change lives.
“In this sector, you work alongside a young person to support them, to create a platform and tools to create change,” Claire says.
What attributes do you need?
In order to be an effective youth worker, you need to be able to take initiative, have leadership qualities and excellent interpersonal skills.
“You also need an open mind and be able to control your emotions. This is especially important if you’re working with young people with complex needs such as mental health issues or a past history of trauma,” Claire says.
What type of work does this involve?
According to Claire, youth work can be classified in two general areas — those who work with youth on the frontline and those who work in designing programs and developing policy.
If you’re working directly with young people, typical tasks include communicating and engaging with young people and acting as advocates for them. You may be required to provide support and advice to young people experiencing difficulties such as drug abuse, homelessness and family problems. You might also need to assess risks, provide short-term crisis counselling or refer your client to support services or agencies.
Youth work can also involve working closely with teachers, social and welfare workers, local authorities, health professionals, refuge workers, counsellors, parents, and sometimes the legal system.
What are the challenges?
Dealing with challenging behaviours, including youth under the influence of drugs or alcohol or with complex trauma or detachment issues, can be difficult. The nature of some of the problems facing youth can be confronting as well.
Sometimes, you may be required to work evenings, weekends and public holidays. Your work environment may be where young people congregate, including shopping centres, parks and reserves.
What career paths can you take?
Claire says those with youth work qualifications have a broad landscape of opportunities available.
“Even if you are working directly with young people, you could be working with drug and alcohol services, local government agencies, schools or residential facilities,” she says.
“The Certificate IV in Youth Work will legally qualify you to work in a Department of Health and Human Services residential care facility.”
The Diploma of Youth Work can lead to job opportunities including youth development worker, youth project officer, youth justice worker or youth engagement officer.
What are job opportunities like?
Youth work has been identified as an area with very strong future growth over the next five years.
Claire says there will likely always be a demand for youth workers, as young people continue to face complex issues at a time when they are still developing socially.
“In particular, there is a big need for youth workers in the area of child protection and the justice system,” she says.
Courses to consider
The Certificate IV in Youth Work will give you the skills to launch your career, you’ll learn to engage with young people and support them to create opportunities as well as to work effectively in trauma informed care and respond to critical situations. This course is included in the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE for Priority Courses program, which reduces the financial barrier for students wanting to train in areas which are in demand by Victorian employers.
From there, the Diploma of Youth Work will allow you to develop and consolidate specialist skills to advance your career in areas such as crisis support, risk assessment, casework, advocacy, case management, family violence and designing and developing youth specific programs.
For students wishing to expand their knowledge further, Chisholm also offers a Bachelor of Community Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs.
