Growing the Next Generation of Youth Work Professionals: Workforce Opportunities and Challenges

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Growing the Next Generation of Youth Work
ProfessionalsWorkforce Opportunities and
Challenges
The Forum for Youth Investment Next Generation
Youth Work Coalition
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Youth Work A Definition

• Youth work professionals or youth workers are
  individuals who work with or on behalf of youth
  to facilitate their personal, social and
  educational development and enable them to gain a
  voice, influence and place in society as they
  make the transition from dependence to
  independence. Three assumptions help define the
  workforce
• Youth work professionals are working with young
  people in primarily informal and voluntary
  settings
• Youth work professionals are working with young
  people primarily between the ages of 8 and 18
  and
• Youth work professionals, like social workers or
  nurses, can be employed by a variety of systems
  and settings.
• Stone, B., Garza, P., Borden, L.
  (2004). Attracting, Development and Retaining
  Youth Workers for the Next Generation.
  Wingspread Conference Proceedings. Washington,
  DC National Collaboration for Youth/National
  Assembly.

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Next Generation Youth Work Coalition

• The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition brings
  together individuals organizations dedicated to
  developing a strong, diverse after-school and
  youth development workforce that is stable,
  prepared, supported and committed to the
  well-being and empowerment of children and youth.
  
• Making progress requires adequate knowledge of
  what exists.

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Next Gen Coalition Core Workforce Questions

• What does the workforce look like?
• How stable, prepared, committed?
• 2. How and to what extent are professionals
  supported in the workplace?
• 3. What could be done to improve the employment
  experiences of youth work professionals and the
  stability of the workforce overall?

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Survey Design and Methods

• The Forum coordinated several studies and
  orchestrated one.
• 1,053 front-line youth workers and 195
  organization directors were surveyed. Focus
  groups were conducted with over 70 youth workers.
  
• The sample includes eight different communities
  across the United States, data collected in
  partnership with NTI through BEST intermediaries.
• Additional data was collected through Girls Inc.,
  Bay Area YDPN, NIOST/Boston
  Afterschool
  Beyond,
  the IL After-School
  
  Partnership.

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Theoretical Framework
Workforce Development Impact Logic Model

Outcomes Short-Term
Intermediate Long-Term

CONTEXTUAL FACTORS
Adapted from Harvard Family Research Project, 2006
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Key Findings and Implications
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Finding Youth workers report surprisingly high
levels of job satisfaction, but also high
levels of job mobility.
Implication Youth work is an undercapitalized
profession and field
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Finding Youth workers work everywhere, with
everyone.

• Youth workers surveyed were employed in a variety
  of settings, worked with the full age range, and
  facilitated a wide range activities.
• Patterns do exist school-based programs more
  likely to employ part-time staff, offer academic
  enrichment community-based programs and
  affiliates serve broader age range, offer more
  activities on average.
• Despite variation, this is one workforce
  grappling with a common set of issues. Longevity
  patterns, satisfaction levels, and factors
  influencing decisions to stay or leave are
  consistent.

Implication Focus on the workers, not the
workplaces.
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Settings, Ages Served

• 23 work with all grades, 28 elementary only,
  30 middle/high only
• 24 work in schools, 29 in national affiliates,
  30 in CBOs.

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Implication Capitalize on unique entry
patterns. Create more formal
short-term and long-term pathways into the
profession.
Finding Youth workers are a particularly varied
group.

• In this largely urban sample, most were minority.
• Most come from related fields (e.g. education,
  child care, social services). Two-thirds have
  some kind of relevant credential.
• One-third are under 25. One-third are 40 or
  older.
• Many enter the field young. While some stay into
  their 30s, many do not. Another wave enters in
  their 40s and 50s after having careers in related
  fields.

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Age and Education

• Half are under age 30 one-third under 25 13
  percent under 22.
• The contrast with teaching demographics is
  significant.
• Especially given age
  distribution, the educational levels
  are quite high.

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Implication Address concerns about
compensation directly small changes may make
a big difference.
Finding Compensation levels are low, especially
for part-time workers.

• Pay is cited as the number one factor influencing
  decisions to stay in or leave the field,
  regardless of demographics, part-time status, job
  satisfaction or setting.
• 27 of full-time and 53 of part-time workers
  hold second jobs.
• Livability of part-time wages is a major concern.
• The fact that increasing earnings means moving
  further away from direct service is a concern.

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Compensation Levels

• The median salary range is 25,000 - 25,999.
• The median hourly wage is 9.00 - 10.99.
• Forty percent of those surveyed have a second job.

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Implication Consider the role of part-time
employment.
Finding Half of those surveyed worked
part-time.

• Part-time workers report extremely high levels of
  job satisfaction levels equal to those of
  full-time workers.
• Part-time workers anticipate staying in the field
  as long as full-time workers.
• While 60 percent of part-time workers were
  interested in full-timework, 40 percent were not.
  
• Still, part-timers earn less and are much less
  likely to have benefits.

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Full-time/Part-time Employment

• One in two surveyed work part-time.
• One in three work only during the school year.

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Implication Create clearer organizational
steps and career ladders
Finding Career advancement and training
recognition opportunities are notably
absent for most workers.

• For many staff, career advancement (especially
  ) requires a job change. While many have been
  in the field for several years, most are quite
  new to their jobs and organizations.
• While training is available, links between
  training and tangible rewards are weak.
• Most youth workers say there are no clear
  opportunities for promotion within their
  organization.

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Time in Job, Organization, Field
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Professional Development, Recognition and
Advancement

• Training opportunities are plentiful, but formal
  support or compensatory recognition for training
  is more elusive.

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Implication Strengthen create support
systems and networks.
Finding Pay is the main reason workers might
leave making a difference is the main
reason they stay.

• Youth workers are attracted to and remain in the
  field when they feel they can make a difference.
• The work is not easy stress and burn-out are
  real (working with all ages simultaneously,
  juggling roles, concerns about job stability).
• Supervision and support matter. Less satisfied
  workers are much less likely to say they get the
  feedback they need.
• Focus group participants suggested the need for
  networking, personal and career counseling,
  financial literacy, etc.

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Implication Legitimize youth work.
Finding Youth workers want to know they are
valued.

• Despite the altruistic commitment of youth work
  professionals, they feel they are underpaid and
  underappreciated.
• Focus group participants characterized the work
  as invisible and called for major public
  awareness efforts.

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In Their Own Words

• Sometimes, honestly, I want to do something where
  people see its valueBut at the same time, I feel
  a passion for the young people and a passion
  about changing the image of youth work as well.
  (Kansas City)
• I was bored and miserable going to work and
  sitting in front of a computer doing stuff I
  didnt care about. So I went back to school and
  got a masters in counseling and decided I wanted
  to work with young people. (San Diego)

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• Logically it doesnt make sense for me to
  continue in this work, butI keep getting pulled
  back in and each time its with different kids.
  (Baltimore)
• Its hard to envision having a family while
  working these hours. (D.C.)
• I cant be making 25,000 ten years from now.
  (Kansas City)
• Where I see a problem is the people who work
  under me part-time people making 6 and 7 an
  hour in something they have been doing for 3 or 4
  years, and havent gotten a raise in 4 yearsthey
  are dealing with our kids everyday, and nobody is
  recognizing them. (Kansas City)

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