Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
There are few things more important or rewarding than making a positive difference to the lives of young people. This degree will help you develop the knowledge and skills needed for a dynamic career in youth work, and with the fast pace of change in the sector, it’s an exciting time to get involved – whether you plan to work in statutory or voluntary settings. The BA (Hons) Youth Work is a professional qualification recognised across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Designed to support young people’s personal and social development, it’s ideal if you work with young people in informal settings, or if you have an informal educational role in a formal environment. You can also achieve intermediate qualifications – a certificate and a foundation degree – while progressing through this degree course and you’ll be well prepared to engage with further research, study, enquiry and practice where knowledge of working with young people is required.
As well as providing a route to professional qualification, the honours degree is also available for those who feel they would like to study at a higher level in working with young people or those who are already professionally qualified and would like to ‘top up’ to an honours degree.
As you progress through this degree you can achieve the Certificate in Working with Young People (C54) – currently recognised by the National Youth Agency (NYA) as giving youth support worker status and recognised as a pre-professional qualification in Scotland – and the Foundation Degree in Working with Young People (G03).
Planning your studies
Please note that there are strict time limits for completing this qualification.
In order to complete this qualification you should have completed Introduction to working with young people (E131) or the fast track Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) version of this module – (EZL131) (both now discontinued).
If you would like further information or advice please contact the Working with Young People Team on 01908 654218, or email.
We recommend that you follow the modules in the order below, as they are designed to follow on from each other. In particular the work-based modules build on the knowledge in the work-related modules.
Entry requirements
To study this honours degree, you will need to obtain the necessary clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau (for England and Wales) or have passed a Disclosure Scotland, or Access NI or Garda (ROI) check, i.e. an appropriate check relevant to the country in which you 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 must be:
- a current practitioner in the field with at least six months recent and current experience and you will be asked to verify your experience early in your studies
- living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland or have a British Forces Post Office (BFPO) address outside the UK to complete all the modules for this degree.
For the work-based modules 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 to complete the work-based assignments (this increases to six hours a week for the third work-based module)
- provide confirmation of your work with young people when you register
- identify work-based learning support from appropriately qualified individuals in your organisation.
If your work setting is unable to provide appropriate support, please contact our Working with Young People Qualifications team on either 01908 654218 or email. They 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 module descriptions.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). If you have graduated with an OU BA degree without honours and are continuing your studies on to honours, this minimum requirement is reduced to 60 credits. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
There is a time limit for this degree. You must obtain the required 360 credits within ten years of starting the first module and by 31 December 2017. The minimum study time to complete the BA (Hons) Youth Work is three years, which would be equivalent to full-time study and would require exceptional commitment to studying.
Career relevance and employability
Youth workers engage with young people in a wide range of roles and settings, including in youth services, in voluntary and community organisations, in schools and colleges, and in youth participation projects. The BA (Hons) Youth Work includes work-based learning at each level of study, and is mapped to the National Occupational Standards for Youth Work. It is recognised as a professional youth work qualification by the National Youth Agency (NYA) on behalf of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for England; the ETS Advisory Committee for Wales; the Standards Council for CLD for Scotland; and the North/South Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth Work in Ireland.
This degree course will develop your skills across the National Occupational Standards for Youth Work, including:
- assessing young people’s needs
- working with young people in groups
- designing learning activities
- planning and evaluating projects
- working in teams and in community-based organisations.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this honours degree you require:
360 credits from the following compulsory modules:
| Level 1 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
| The discontinued modules E131 or the supported APEL version EZL131 |
30 |
|
| The discontinued modules E132 or the supported APEL version EZL132 |
30 |
|
- Introduction to working with young people in practice (E118)
|
60 |
|
| Level 2 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Leading work with young people in practice (E218)
|
60 |
|
- Childhood (E212)
|
60 |
|
| Level 3 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Issues in research with children and young people (EK313)
|
60 |
|
- Youth: policy in practice (E318)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2, the discontinued module U212, at Level 3 the discontinued module KE308
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 modules so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number of modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Youth Work degree which confers recognition as a professional youth worker in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
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.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study 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
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification