Course summary

We’ve helped students gain a Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) professional Youth and Community Work qualification at Birmingham Newman University since 2007. Birmingham Newman has a long and proud history of teaching Youth and Community Work and has been at the forefront of developing Youth and Community Work education and training in the West Midlands. Our degree is accredited by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for youth workers which means that you leave with a degree and with a professional qualification. This is an essential step in gaining graduate employment. Our course is an exciting application of theory in real-life practice, which will develop you as a critically reflective practitioner. You will undertake 800 hours of supervised practice in a broad range of Youth and Community Work settings, which will enable you to develop your own professional identity, skills, understanding and reputation throughout your studies and prepare you for your future career. Our course welcomes socially-conscious and diverse student voices, from a range of backgrounds and learning experiences. To support your studies, you will be taught by a team of JNC Youth and Community Work professionally qualified, research-active and enthusiastic tutors, who have strong partnerships with local employers and experience nationally and internationally. Why study Youth and Community Work? Birmingham Newman is one of few professional Youth and Community Work courses in the West Midlands. Holding the professional JNC qualification means that you will be recognised nationally as a professional Youth Worker in the UK – expanding your employment options. Studying at the University will provide you with a broad range of fieldwork practice experiences in both the statutory and voluntary sectors in projects including: Young people and mental health Centre-based youth projects Detached youth projects Homelessness projects and addiction issues In all contexts, you will be supported to demonstrate your application of theory in practice with ‘hands-on’ learning. You can expect to be challenged and supported while at Newman, and gain an understanding of the contemporary world, which will set you up for a long and satisfying career. What does the course cover? During your first year of study you will develop a foundation of knowledge around understanding Youth and Community Work and includes: Understanding Youth and Community Work Understanding groups and self Planning for applied reflective practice Study skills for university, Key thinkers and their big ideas Introduction to Social Policy In your second year, you will build upon these modules to explore topics that include: Researching social issues Critical pedagogy Intersectionality in Youth and Community Work Applied Reflective Practice, (400 hr block placement with scheduled recall days to university) One option module from a selection in Criminology or Working with Children, Young people, and Families* In your final year of study, the modules you will be involved in are: Dissertation (10,000 words) Applied Reflective Practice (400 hr block placement with scheduled recall days to university) Management One option module from a selection in Criminology or Working with Children, Young people, and Families* *The option modules are chosen from a selection each year and they may change from year to year.