Professional and Training Frameworks for Personal Advisers
A Response by YALP
Published July 2000
The Young Adult Learners Partnership (YALP), a joint initiative of the National Youth
Agency (NYA) and the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), researches
and develops effective approaches to learning and personal development among young adults
on the margins of education, training and employment with the purpose of fostering their
capability and their integration as young workers, parents and citizens. In pursuit of
this goal the project combines action research, curriculum development, dissemination of
best practice and consultancy.
YALP therefore welcomes the Connexions Service, as part of the broader Connexions
strategy, a single coherent strategy aimed at reaching all young people and giving them
the support they need to make the most of the wide range of learning opportunities
available to them. The partnership particularly welcomes the special attention that is to
be paid to those who are hardest to help.
The completed consultation questionnaires are attached, however we would like to take
this opportunity to highlight several key points relating to the professional and training
frameworks for personal advisers.
YALP has developed a curriculum framework, entitled Getting Connected,
designed to develop the emotional as much as the analytical intelligence which most
conventional forms of education value. The framework is primarily designed for young
adults aged 16 and over and to be used in the context of informal learning. The key to
unlocking learning for young people through this scheme is a mentor, youth worker or some
other form of community-based educator. The training of practitioners to use this
framework undertaken to date indicates that it is highly relevant to the content of
training envisaged for the emerging personal adviser role. We are in the process of
delivering Getting Connected training in one of the pilot areas of Connexions.
In order to provide the required number of personal advisers, it is likely that many
will develop into personal advisers from actively working with young people in their local
communities or from a role of a community mentor. YALP is delivering training in Getting
Connected to community volunteers who are part of an initiative to counter youth
crime.
It is clear from this that any training of such a key group recognises and responds to
their exceptional readiness to learn and validates their experience, knowledge and
commitment to working with young people in their communities.
The experience of YALP in undertaking research for Finding the Missing1
and Only Connect2 would demonstrate that work with
young people, aged 13-25 on issues of education, training and employment, needs clearly to
take account of the differences within this broad group. For example the aspirations,
training interests and motivations of those aged 18 and over are significantly different
to those aged 16 or 17. It is therefore vital that training for personal advisers reflects
both the training and education patterns of these young people and the relevant aspects of
the labour market, and their personal / social development.
1 Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, Merton B
(1998) Finding the Missing Youth Work Press 2 Merton, B. Parrot, A. (1999) Only Connect NIACE
