Youth Council: In Service Training Support Scheme

Overview

The Youth Council offer two training support schemes - one for full time workers and another for voluntary workers.

In-Service Training Support Scheme (Full-time Youth Workers)

This Scheme has been devised to support voluntary youth organisations who have full-time staff (ie. employed for a minimum of 16 hours per week) on part-time courses leading to initial professional qualification in youth and community work

General Conditions for Financial Support

A maximum number of four staff per course, nominated by a voluntary youth organisation, can be funded annually (this figure may be adjusted if needs be to allow for an equitable distribution of funding within the limitation of the finance available to the Scheme).

Funding would normally be offered at the rate of up to 75% of course fees up to a maximum of £1000 per recipient per academic year.

Funding will only be offered in respect of recipients who can provide independent evidence of having secured a place on an approved course; however, it should be noted that admission to a course is not a guarantee that financial assistance will be available.

Assistance with courses outside Northern Ireland will only be considered where similar courses are not available in Northern Ireland.

Application for support may be made in respect of one course and one venue only per individual.

Applications for funding must be made on the form provided: Part A to be completed by the person seeking funding; Part B by the employing organisation; and Part C, a Certificate of Acceptance Form, by the course provider. No other forms of application will be considered.

Employers must allow leave of absence from normal youth work duties for the times specified by the course.

Recipients of the bursary must be engaged in a youth worker role and be working face-to-face with young people in a youth work setting for a minimum of 50% of their weekly schedule.

In-Service Training Support Scheme (Full-time Youth Workers)

In-Service training courses for which funding may be available generally fall into three broad categories:

• Short courses designed to cater for immediate needs and provided at local level.
• Courses linking theory to practice and meeting the criteria for national validation.
• Courses with a more academic emphasis leading to degrees or postgraduate qualification.

Training needs should be jointly identified by the applicant and his/her employer and should enhance the youth worker's performance in specific areas of practice and contribute to their personal and career development.

To ensure a programme which is both comprehensive and flexible, consideration may also be given to in-service training modes other than traditional course-based learning. The Youth Council plans to encourage an innovative and experimental approach to in-service training and will regularly review the feasibility and appropriateness of different approaches.

To be eligible for consideration for support under the terms of the Scheme an applicant must be a full-time youth worker (qualified in accordance with JNC) and currently employed in a contracted full-time youth work post, which has been established by, or approved by Education and Library Boards or by the Department of Education.

How to Apply

Obtain full guidelines and application forms from the contact.

GT Team 7 January 2011

The NICVA GT Team contacted YCNI and it is unlikely that there will be any funding available in 2011 at this stage.