10.6 Recognition and validation of skills acquired through youth work
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Existing arrangements
In September 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy adopted the document Occupation standard Worker with youth. According to the occupational standard, the worker with youth has a fourth level of complexity of work tasks.
In the recently released Portfolio on Youth Workers the authors presented several templates intended to assist youth workers in the process of evaluating and presenting their profile as a youth worker. These are templates where youth workers can systematically present their abilities, past experience, education, diplomas and certificates and so on.
The Portfolio is made by the Union for Youth Workers, with cooperation with the Agency on Youth and Sport, Adult Education Center and Vocational Education and Training Center. The process is financed by the National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility, through the KA3 Erasmus project.
There is no publicly available information on how these or other templates are used by youth workers, or whether there are any other self-assessment tools or other documents for recognition of the skills and competences acquired.
In the framework of the project “Educational Opportunities for Youth Workers”, with support from the Agency of Youth and Sport, in December 2019 Union for Youth Work verified the first educational program for workers with youth in the Republic of North Macedonia. The decision for verification was brought by the Adult Education Center, which is public institution, a separate legal entity established by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia in November 2008.
Skills
Previously mentioned Occupation standard prescribes a range of knowledge and skills that a worker with youth should possess. For example, a worker with youth develops instruments to research the needs of young people in the community; conduct research; analyze and present the research results; manage with different conflict situations; encourages culturally and socially acceptable behavior, altruistic and proactive behavior among young people; creates tools for assessing and self-assessing young people's personal affinities and abilities; develops critical thinking and rethinks opportunities for building new attitudes; applies teamwork; etc.