According to Dr John Tan, chairman of the Youth Work Association (Singapore) or YWAS, the youth work sector is set for a huge boost when the National Youth Work Competency (NYWC) Framework is launched on 16 July 2017.
YWAS is a professional association focused on establishing benchmarks for professional standards and advocacy for youth work professionals.
“This framework will be a basis for generic skillsets as well as the establishment of career pathways for youth workers. That is something that YWAS is looking forward to and will help with a youth worker’s career development,” said John.
A joint initiative between the Central Youth Guidance Office and the National Council of Social Services (NCSS), the framework offers clearer career progression and is also a big step towards the recognition of youth work practitioners as professionals.
What Is Youth Work?
Professional roles in youth work are mainly focused on rehabilitation and helping at-risk youths. Specific roles include youth social workers, youth counsellors and youth psychologists, but the specific youth element of the roles are not recognised as a profession yet.
“It would be anyone who has some form of contact with a young person. That would be the most generic definition,” he said, adding that the age range of these youths broadly fall between 10 and 18 years,” he said.
Budding LM Relationship
To better serve the needs of its 135 members, YWAS has been exploring collaboration opportunities with the Labour Movement.
“Looking at the U Associate ecosystem alone, there are a lot of possibilities to come together to help support members in a deeper, technical manner. In a broader sense, we can support anyone who may have issues with young people and who may want specialised help.
“This is the potential and we are exploring ways of working together with fellow U Associates who work with young people on ways to engage them better,” said John, who added that NTUC’s youth communities such as nEbO and Young NTUC can make a difference to youths.
For a start, YWAS has begun working with Young NTUC and has a learning journey to the Boys’ Town in early July.
“We are looking at using that as an opportunity to give young people a sneak preview into how youths in the Boys’ Town are being trained and helped. It is a good opportunity to reach out to younger people who may consider a career in youth work,” he said.
Future Plans
“I think we definitely want to make our presence felt more, especially in working together with our fellow U Associates. I’m hoping that we can develop more cross-sector partnerships. It may not be in the frontline capabilities of our members but in their organisational capabilities.
“In particular, we are looking at partnering U Associates like the Singapore Human Resource Institute (SHRI) and others in IT and accounting. The possibilities are all there for development,” said John.
