Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support people who have trained as youth workers to enter the youth workforce.

DCMS funds a number of programmes that are stimulating demand for youth workers, including through our National Youth Guarantee, which is backed by over £500 million of investment into youth services.

In addition, the updated statutory guidance for local authorities’ youth provision puts an emphasis on the importance of youth work practice and on employing or encouraging the employment of individuals with youth work skills and qualifications.

To support the youth workforce, DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to set professional standards, qualifications and a curriculum for youth work, including a youth work apprenticeship and free-to-access training. DCMS also funds youth worker bursaries which allows youth workers and volunteers to gain qualifications in youth work. To date, DCMS has funded over 2,000 bursaries and we are providing £1,075,000 for over 700 adults who would otherwise be unable to undertake youth work qualifications due to cost.