Establishment context

North Ayrshire Council was the first local authority to become a Child Centred Council which aims to protect and uphold young people’s rights. Its Community Learning and Development (CLD) strategic documents are underpinned by the key priorities of positive destinations for 16–19-year-olds and attainment and achievement.

Modern Apprenticeship youth work programmes for 16–19-year-olds are a core part of the CLD Connected Communities team that sits within the Communities and Education Directorate. A core part of its youth work programme, training and service delivery is based around these young people, who receive mentorship, guidance and on-the-job learning.

One of the key priorities within the council’s rights-based CLD Strategic Plan is that young people have access to high-quality Modern Apprenticeship programmes. This is particularly pertinent in North Ayrshire, which has the second-highest concentration of multiple deprivation in Scotland:

• North Ayrshire has particularly high levels of child poverty and those living in poverty. At 29%, it has the second highest rate of child poverty in Scotland, second only to Glasgow City, which has a rate of 32%, and against a national average of 24%. Twenty-eight per cent of North Ayrshire’s data zones are in the 15% most deprived in Scotland.
• Data shows that 4.8% of young people In North Ayrshire are refusing education and not participating. This is 9^th highest rate of non-participation in Scotland.
• North Ayrshire also has the 4^th highest number of care-experienced young people per youth population in Scotland.

The council’s youth work programme is aimed towards young people who are seldom-heard. The council supports its care-experienced young people with applying for these apprenticeship places. In line with the Promise, it offers enhanced opportunities for young people to take up these placements.

The improvement issue

The Modern Apprenticeship programme was originally funded through Community Planning Partnership to offer a pathway into careers in youth work, for those young people who did not have the qualifications or academic requirements. The programme gave young people the opportunity to acquire on-the-job learning and skills. This programme has developed from this model to becoming a core part of the North Ayrshire Modern Apprenticeship programme.

The programme is unique in that the qualification is delivered completely within the service.

What the setting did

The council prioritised upskilling of 17 of the core staff team to become qualified assessors and internal verifiers, a few of which have gone through the Modern Apprenticeship programme themselves. This helps to ensure that MAs can have a close working relationship with the programme assessors. The ethos of a ‘grow your own’ approach has allowed for not only the candidates but the staff to also continue to grow professionally.

The Modern Apprenticeship programme provides employment opportunities for young people in the authority from age 16-19. The candidates not only gain their Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ), but significant importance is also placed on their personal development and deepening their understanding of CLD practice.

This qualification enhances both community and civic pride in our apprentices. It has created pathways into further volunteering opportunities and employment within community settings and has increased young people’s participation in democratic understanding and appreciation.

In line with the targets of the North Ayrshire Employability Strategy, this programme reflects our commitment to reducing youth unemployment rates in North Ayrshire.

The management and support of the MAs is delivered centrally, with the MAs given set development days and time to complete their SVQ. The council’s focused approach to the management and support to MAs provides good opportunities for them to gain valuable knowledge and skills whilst also fitting in their group work and completion of SVQ units.

The council has seen over 110 MAs complete their qualification since 2008. Pathways from youth work participants, youth awards to the Modern Apprenticeship often leads to employment further than their time as an MA, with opportunities for placements, sessional work and many MAs returning to full time employment as a qualified CLD practitioners which only enhances our ‘grow your own’ ethos. This supports our commitment to reducing youth unemployment in the area.

The range of employment that the MAs move onto outwith further learning includes CLD, fire service, NHS, health and social care, education, working within the third sector, Police Scotland and early years, to name a few.

The MAs are able to get the best from the young people who are participating in youth work, particularly around youth voice, participation and democracy. Peer support and learning allows young people to open up about issues in their local community and create positive action for change. The MAs develop sessions and events for the young people and so are able to understand their needs and deliver fun, interactive and engaging sessions underpinned by youth work practice and outcomes.

The MAs are an essential and integral part of our CLD team. In the context of budget constraints and fewer staff, they enhance the youth work programme across the authority and provide vital support to strategic and locality teams in doing this.

What the sustained impact has been

The strength of the council’s youth work Modern Apprenticeship programme means that the MAs make a huge impact in North Ayrshire CLD. They support over 40 youth groups across the authority every week. They are critical to the delivery of various large-scale events such as joint cabinet meetings, youth council and youth conferences.

Engagement levels have increased in both group work and youth voice structures, because the young people are more willing to discuss openly about the issues affecting them with someone closer to their age. The peer learning model that has been developed and nurtured allows for this to work effectively. Often, the MAs are seen as role models and are able to encourage young people to try new activities or get involved in their community to affect change in areas of concern.

Participants have increased skills for employability through gaining their SVQ and attending a range of additional training. Besides learning how to conduct themselves and manage relationships in a workplace, they learn a range of skills for work such as punctuality, communication, time management, leadership and teamwork. The qualification allows the MAs to follow a career in youth and community development, progressing from within the council’s youth participation structure and Personal Development Award (PDA) delivery in schools, through the Modern Apprenticeship programme and to gaining a degree in community development. Those that have gained their SVQ feel like they have not only practice experience but a sound knowledge in CLD that enhances their learning in university and provides them with a placement when they need one.

Having a core group of MAs helps the council develop its workforce with the skills needed to deliver a peer-led model. In turn, this increases productivity and business performance for the service and the partners that it supports.

Key achievements of this programme:

• Over 110 MAs have completed their qualification since 2008.
• Seventeen assessors trained and qualified in-house
• One of few Modern Apprenticeship programmes to run throughout COVID - SQA giving the programme ‘high confidence in ability’ across the qualification.
• The council has developed its own Modern Apprenticeship
• Fully digitalised SVQ system through VQ Folio during COVID.
• All MAs staying on as sessional workers and progressing on to positive destinations, such as employment or university.
• In-house moderation, including assessors and Internal Verifier qualification for staff
• Pathway for learning – development from PDA in youth work across schools, into SVQ and into positive destinations thereafter, with a strong ‘grow your own’ culture.
• Creation of caring and nurturing approach with full support personally and professionally.

Read some testimonials from current and former MAs and from partner agencies.

Additional information

The MAs are used by the CLD Services, other departments, and organisations as a trusted source for carrying out consultation and engagement with young people using a youth work approach. They have completed youth edits on the council plan, Children’s Services Plan, democracy matters, and Local Outcome Improvement Plan. They consult and engage with their peers and younger people. Many services work in partnership with them to test new strategies and policies that are relevant to young people. This helps to ensure that they are engaging with and representing the views of young people across North Ayrshire.