If you’re passionate about supporting young people and making a difference in your community, First Steps to Youth Work is the perfect place to begin your journey.

A group of young people in room, looking at a board which features a drawing of a person. One young man is pointing at the drawing.
Participants on the First Steps to Youth Work course are earning a qualification at SCQF level 4

This free youth work training in North Lanarkshire introduces you to the skills, values and knowledge you’ll need to build a rewarding career in youth and community work.

What is the First Steps to Youth Work course?

Developed by Community Learning and Development (CLD) North Lanarkshire, this training helps you gain a recognised qualification while exploring the rewarding world of youth work.

The course sits on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at Level 4, carrying 2 SCQF credit points. This means your learning is nationally recognised — and can be built on through further study and qualifications.

What you’ll learn on the course

The First Steps to Youth Work course introduces the key principles and practices of youth work in a hands-on, engaging way.

Through interactive sessions, group work, and case studies, you will:

  • Explore key developments in youth work in Scotland, including the National Youth Work Outcomes
  • Learn about different youth work settings and groups
  • Understand the impact of social media in youth work delivery
  • Develop awareness of risk assessment and child protection
  • Build core communication and teamwork skills essential for working with young people

You will also take part in fun, practical activities that reflect real youth work practice, from icebreakers and group exercises to learning about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, youth worker qualities, and health and safety.

Progression routes and career opportunities

Completing the First Steps to Youth Work training can open up a range of exciting opportunities in the youth and community sector. Many learners go on to:

  • Volunteer with local youth work teams
  • Progress to the Professional Development Award (PDA) in Youth Work at SCQF level 6
  • Study qualifications such as the HNC in Working with Communities at SCQF level 7
  • Secure employment in youth work, education or community development

The course is completely free for anyone who lives, works or attends schools or college in North Lanarkshire, making it an accessible first step into a rewarding career helping others. It is also available to volunteers involved in youth work in North Lanarkshire.

Learner success stories

I took part in First Steps training when I started volunteering at a youth club. It was great fun — I learned practical activities and some of the theory related to youth work. As a result, I now volunteer with the Motherwell Youth Work team, have completed the PDA in Introduction to Community Involvement, and I’m hoping to go on to do the HNC in Working with Communities.
– Kai Etherington

“My youth worker suggested I take part in the training. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I left school and thought it would look good on my CV. I really enjoyed the course and met people from different groups and voluntary organisations. I decided I wanted to pursue a career in youth work, and I’m now employed by North Lanarkshire Council’s CLD department as an Assistant Support Worker.”
– Amy Muslek

To see how the qualification compares to others, visit our interactive framework.

Learn more about community learning and development in North Lanarkshire.

Glossary Term

Authority

Appears at Level 12 only where it is used in the phrase ‘demonstrate substantial authority’, reflecting a recognised high level and depth of expertise/expert knowledge and understanding, along with confidence. It does not mean ‘exercise authority over staff and resources’ etc, as that could clearly apply at earlier levels.

Glossary Term

Exercise

Used in connection with management and/or supervisory responsibility, denotes a requirement of a formal, substantive role.

Glossary Term

Directive

Applied to ‘supervision’, signifies a task or activity that is guided.

Glossary Term

Graphical Data

Encompasses maps, plans, diagrams, tables and graphs.

Glossary Term

Synthesis

Combine discrete elements into a coherent whole.

Glossary Term

Analysis

Examine in detail with a view to explanation and interpretation.

Glossary Term

Present

Set out, put forward, deliver information using a variety of mediums as appropriate.

Glossary Term

Hypothetical

Supposed, assumed for the sake of argument.

Glossary Term

Straightforward

Clear and uncomplicated activity, but not as demanding or systematic and therefore not as advanced as ‘routine’.

Glossary Term

Creativity

Often used in combination with ‘originality’. There is overlap in definition, but the defining characteristic of creativity appears to be imagination.

Glossary Term

Originality

Often used in combination with ‘creativity’. There is overlap in definition, but the defining characteristic of originality appears to be independence.

Glossary Term

Professional

Used throughout as an adjective and applied to terms including level, skills, techniques, practices, contexts, and issues where it bears broad interpretation as ‘behaving appropriately/doing things properly and well and to notions of accepted, (including externally) prescribed standards’, as well as narrow, relating to a specific occupation designated as a profession. In this latter sense, the term applies in all contexts including academic study, eg footnoting properly.

Glossary Term

Unfamiliar

New territory for an activity.

Glossary Term

Routine

Used as an adjective throughout and applied to terms including skills, tasks, elements, practices, contexts, methods and problems where it describes activity that is standard, usual, unvarying, customary, common.

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Everyday

Slightly more advanced and beyond personal but a known experience/activity encountered/applied regularly - less advanced than ‘familiar’.

Glossary Term

Familiar

Often encountered or experienced; common; something one has a good knowledge of - more advanced than ‘personal’ and ‘everyday’, not as advanced as ‘routine’.

Glossary Term

Personal

An experience relating only or primarily to the person – one would expect to start here then widen out into the rest of the world, so not as advanced as ‘familiar’.

Glossary Term

Critical

Fully informed, capable of supporting in-depth analysis and assessment.

Glossary Term

Discerning

Using judgement to recognise differences but not fully equipped/informed to analyse and discuss them in depth, so less advanced than critical.

Glossary Term

Awareness

Consciousness, including a background consciousness. Can be a starting point for further exploration.

Glossary Term

Appreciation

A sense, perception, a hold, fix or grasp of one or more of the various aspects of a subject/discipline/sector.

Glossary Term

Understanding

A thorough and firm grasp of a subject/discipline/sector or an element or elements of it, derived from education/study, experience and reasoning in appropriate combination. Can be defined as ‘know why’, as opposed to ‘know that’. More holistic knowledge of processes and contexts, so more advanced than appreciation and knowledge.

Glossary Term

Simple

Undemanding activity not necessarily part of a formal structure - not as advanced as ‘basic’.

Glossary Term

Knowledge

Facts, ideas, theories and concepts in a subject/discipline/sector acquired through experience and/or education – a surer grasp than appreciation so more advanced.

Glossary Term

Basic

Activity is early stepping stone on a structure or framework that can be built upon – more advanced than ‘simple’.