Adult Learning Wales (ALW) was delighted to welcome Vikki Howells MS, Minister for Further and Higher Education, to the Eastmoors Youth Centre in Splott on Thursday 26 February.

The Minister met with seven learners currently enrolled in the Level 4 Leadership and Management Youth Work course. Led by tutor Emma Chivers, the session provided a platform for the Minister to hear directly from professionals working across both voluntary and maintained youth work settings. The Minister also spoke directly to Kathryn Robson, CEO of ALW and Rachel Burton, Youth Work Manager for ALW.

The visit offered a vital opportunity for learners to discuss the current opportunities and challenges facing the Youth Work sector in Wales. These learners, all of whom are qualified Youth Workers (Level 6) or Youth Support Workers (Level 3), represent the next generation of sector leadership. Many have progressed through ALW’s Youth Work pathway, having completed the Level 3 Leadership and Management course in the 2024/25 academic year.

In line with the current Welsh Government consultation on The Future of Tertiary Education, the learners were able to provide first-hand feedback to the Minister on some of the barriers learners face in accessing education. They were also able to point out how attending this course has been a vital resource in equipping them as emerging leaders and managers in Youth Work.

Kathryn Robson, said:

“It was great to have the Minister with us at Eastmoors, and we genuinely value the time she took to sit with learners and hear what the youth work looks like in Wales at this time. This Level 4 course is helping people step up into leadership in a practical way by managing teams, supporting staff and volunteers, and making confident decisions in busy youth work settings. The conversation was honest and informative, and it was a timely reminder of why progression in youth work matters so much.”

Rachel Burton, added:

“It was a privilege to be part of this visit by the Minister, Vikki Howells, to this Leadership and Management course. Having worked in partnership with Education Training Standards Wales to create and fund this course as a much-needed progression route in Youth Work Leadership and Management, it is a joy to see and hear the progress these learners are making and the impact it is having on their work.  Good learners will have an exponential impact on the lives of young people in Wales. Thank you so much to the excellent staff and volunteers of Cardiff Youth Service at Eastmoors Youth Centre for hosting, the warm welcome, and the quality youth work you do.”

The Minister was also joined by Steve Nicolls (ALW Chair of Governors) and Darryl White (Youth Work Workforce Development Officer, Welsh Local Government Association/Education Training Standards). The visit highlighted the long-standing partnership between ALW and the Welsh Local Government Association/Education Training Standards, which remains instrumental in professionalising the Youth Work workforce in Wales through specialised training and programmes.

Darryl White further added:

“I was very pleased to meet with Minister Vikki Howells during her visit to Eastmoors Youth Centre and to have the opportunity to discuss our ongoing work to support Youth Workers across Wales. At ETS Cymru Wales, we are committed to strengthening the Youth Work workforce at every operating level; providing clear pathways for new practitioners while also equipping our existing and emerging leaders and managers with the skills, confidence, and professional grounding they need to thrive. This Level 4 programme was designed and co-produced by the sector, and it represents exactly the kind of progression we want to see across the sector, and it was encouraging to showcase the impact of this developmental and collaborative work directly to the Minister.”

Adult Learning Wales and the Welsh Local Government Association/Education Training Standards extend their sincere thanks to Vikki Howells MS for her time and her continued support of youth work provision in Splott and across Wales.

📸Tracey Paddison