The CLD Standards Council are delighted to announce that the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in Youth Work has now been approved and is ready for use. The MA in CLD: Youth Work provides a practical work based route for learners to gain employment experience and an SCQF level 6 or 7 qualification. It is just one of a range of qualifications in the suite of Community Learning and Development programmes.
Dr Marion Allison, Director of the CLD Standards Council said,
“We were delighted to extend our reach to deliver the review of this learning programme. The Modern Apprenticeship in CLD: Youth Work provides trainees and employers with a tried and tested qualification that ensures young people and communities have access to well-trained CLD: Youth Workers. The ambition for all of Scotland’s young people, learners and communities to be served by highly trained CLD practitioners is central to the CLD Standards Council’s mission”.
Further information can be found as follows:
Apprenticeships Scotland – Modern Apprenticeship Youth Work
Skills Development Scotland – Youth Work Framework SCQF Level 6 (PDF)
Skills Development Scotland – Youth Work Framework SCQF Level 7 (PDF)
Youth Work Modern Apprenticeships Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: Why has there been an “uprating of SCQF level from 5/6 to 6/7 in the MA”?
Answer: The MA level has been uprated as the SVQ was uprated from SCQF Level 5/6 to SCQF Level 6/7.
Question: Why are Core Skills now at SCQF Level 5/6 rather than the previous SCQF Level 4/5?
Answer: Workplace Core Skills must be applied at a minimum required level according to the level of the Modern Apprenticeship. Different levels may be acceptable, higher or lower, but developers would need to provide evidence to justify this. In the Steering groups opinion there was no compelling justification that would meet this criteria.
The following information aligns MA levels with minimum Core Skills levels; this should be used as a guide when considering a Framework submission.
MA Level – Minimum Core Skill level
SCQF level 5 – SCQF level 4
SCQF level 6 – SCQF level 5
SCQF level 7 – SCQF level 6
Question: Why are some Core Skills embedded and others are not?
Answer:
The core skills of “Communication, Working with Others & Problem Solving” have been judged to be embedded through the performance criteria for the mandatory modules.
ICT & Numeracy is not embedded in the CLD Youth Work MA mandatory modules. There is evidence for ICT in the optional unit CLD YW 08 but this can not be used for evidence.
Where the developer believes that the Workplace Core Skills do not require separate certification then a detailed mapping exercise must be carried out and included within the framework submission. Each element (or performance criteria) for each of the SVQ mandatory units must be mapped against each Core Skill task. SQA Accreditation guidance on signposting and mapping work-based core skills highlights the following distinction:
“The main difference between signposting and mapping Workplace Core Skills is depth. Signposting is indicative, and normally involves reviewing the SVQ competences against the Workplace Core Skills titles. Mapping involves a more in-depth review in which the job role is compared to individual Outcomes or Performance Criteria (PC) of SVQ and Workplace Core Skills Units.”
For clarity, even where core skills can be shown to be embedded, employers in the sector still have the option of requesting that separate certification is mandatory in the Framework.
Question: Why is there a mandatory enhancement requirement to the MA CLD Youth Work?
Answer: This maintains the position of the previous Youth Work Modern Apprenticeship and parity of esteem with the Community Development Modern Apprenticeship. The number and scope of the mandatory enhancements have been increased to allow as wide a choice as possible for the learners and providers, whilst meeting the feedback provided by the Apprentice Approvals Group that there should be “clear and concise differentiation” between the Youth Work Modern Apprenticeship frameworks at level 6 and at level 7. For this reason some mandatory enhancements only appear at the relevant level and not in both frameworks.