Training & Accreditation

Empowering professionals, organisations, and young people across Wales through high-quality, accredited learning.

We deliver inclusive, youth-centred training grounded in real practice across Wales. Whether you’re commissioning bespoke training, booking onto a scheduled course, or supporting young people to gain recognised qualifications, we’ll work with you to find the right approach.

Welcome to the Youth Cymru Training & Accreditation Hub

bespoke, scheduled, or youth-focused. Develop your skills. Strengthen youth work in Wales.

For over 50 years, Youth Cymru has delivered expert-led, high-quality training shaped by the needs of the youth sector. Our programmes support both voluntary and statutory youth services across Wales, helping individuals, teams, and organisations make a lasting impact.

Explore our upcoming courses and start your journey today.

Choose the training that works for you

Choose from:

Bespoke training for organisations - tailored to your team, priorities, and context.
Scheduled training for individuals - bookable courses with clear learning outcomes.
Accredited and non-accredited options, including pathways that support workforce development and recognised qualifications

Whether you’re building confidence in practice, developing your team, or progressing your career, Youth Cymru has training to help you grow.

What we Offer

Bespoke Training

Bespoke Training

Training designed with you, not just for you.

We work in partnership with organisations to co-design bespoke, commissioned training that reflects your team’s needs, values, and context. Training can be delivered to a single organisation or across partnerships and networks.

Popular training themes include:

Safeguarding (Levels 2 & 3 – accredited and non-accredited)
Safeguarding Basics
Mentoring & Coaching
Detached & Outreach Youth Work
Creative & Participatory Evaluation
Level 2 & 3 Youth Work Qualifications (full awards or optional units)

What you can expect:

Collaborative design and delivery
Experienced, youth-work-qualified tutors
Flexible formats (online, in-person, blended)
Clear outcomes aligned to practice and policy

Contact us to discuss a tailored training package.

Scheduled Training

Open courses for individuals and small teams

Our scheduled training programme offers a wide range of registered and accredited courses that individuals and small teams can book onto throughout the year. Sessions are practical, reflective, and firmly rooted in youth work values, with options ranging from bite-sized, one-hour non-accredited learning to fully accredited programmes and qualifications.

Current and upcoming courses include:

Digital Youth Work
Fundraising Essentials
Youth Violence and Criminal Exploitation
Youth Work in Digital Spaces and Places
Safeguarding (Levels 2 and 3)
Accrediting youth work using the Youth Achievement Award
Coaching and Mentoring
Detached and Outreach Youth Work
The Personal, Social and Emotional Curriculum and Youth Work

Why book with us?

Regularly updated course calendar
Clear learning outcomes and accreditation information
Supportive, inclusive learning environments
Opportunities to connect with peers from across Wales

📞 Contact us for registration or queries

Accreditation Service

🎓 Accreditation Service

Helping organisations deliver accredited learning with confidence.

Youth Cymru’s Accreditation Service supports organisations to recognise and evidence the learning already happening in youth work — with the guidance, quality assurance, and practical support needed to deliver accredited outcomes with confidence.

We offer two core routes:

1) Join our Agored Cymru curriculum (for organisations delivering their own accredited learning)
Organisations can align their provision to Youth Cymru’s quality-assured Agored Cymru curriculum, enabling you to accredit your existing programmes and activities. You’ll benefit from our expertise, clear processes, and ongoing quality assurance — so accreditation feels achievable, not overwhelming.

2) Youth Cymru delivers and accredits learning with your young people (delivered with you, for you)
We can design, deliver, and accredit programmes directly with the young people you work with, using Agored Cymru units and qualifications. This can include individual units or full qualifications, such as those within Personal and Social Education (PSE) and Work-Related Education (WRE), as well as creative and project-based learning.

Our support can include:

Access to Youth Cymru’s Agored Cymru curriculum
Co-design of learning programmes, resources, and assessment approaches
Quality assurance and internal verification support
Guidance through registration, certification, and claims
Practical, step-by-step help to keep delivery smooth and compliant

We remove the complexity, so you can focus on meaningful youth work and high-quality learning.

Speak to us about accreditation support
Browse available Agored Cymru units & qualifications

Young Person’s Courses

Young People’s Courses

Accredited and non-accredited learning designed for young people.

Youth Cymru delivers youth-friendly courses led by experienced youth workers — combining high expectations with flexible, creative approaches. Our programmes are particularly well suited to alternative curricula, youth provision, and young people who benefit from tailored support, including those who are harder to reach or at risk of disengagement.

We can deliver accredited or non-accredited learning, using Agored Cymru units and qualifications and/or the Youth Achievement Awards — helping young people build confidence, recognise progress, and achieve meaningful outcomes.

Courses can be delivered 1:1, in small groups, or as whole-group programmes, with levels typically ranging from Entry 1 through to Levels 2–3 (depending on the learner and the pathway).

Course areas include:

Personal, Social & Emotional Learning (confidence, relationships, wellbeing, resilience)
Work-Related Education (employability, communication, teamwork, interview skills, enterprise)
Life Skills & Independent Living (money management, decision-making, healthy choices)
Creative Arts & Expression (projects that build skills, pride, and identity)
Practical Skills Projects (including sewing, upcycling, and sustainable making)
Essential Skills (functional literacy and numeracy through real-life contexts)
Participation, Campaigning & Youth Voice (rights, influence, leadership, community action)

Key features:

Flexible delivery to suit young people’s needs, pace, and interests
Suitable for schools, PRUs, youth clubs, alternative provision, and community settings
Strong focus on engagement, relationships, and trauma-informed practice
Clear progression routes and recognised outcomes with real-world relevance
Designed to build confidence, motivation, and sustained participation

Contact us to plan tailored delivery

The Youth Achievement Awards

The Youth Achievement Awards (YAA) are credit-based, accredited learning opportunities for young people across Wales. Managed and owned by Youth Cymru, the Awards are accredited through Agored Cymru and sit within the Qualifications Framework for Wales, providing trusted and recognised accreditation.

The Youth Achievement Awards are a youth-led, progressive, and flexible framework that can be applied across a broad range of youth work activity. They are designed to meet the needs of all young people, at different starting points and levels, and to recognise achievement in both formal and non-formal settings.

The Awards act as a personal development tool, enabling young people to set their own challenges and targets, work towards them at their own pace, and evidence learning in ways that reflect their strengths and interests.

Key features include:

Five progressive Awards for young people aged 11–16, offering clear stages of recognition and progression
Adaptable across a wide range of settings, including youth clubs, schools, alternative provision, and community-based projects
Youth-led planning and reflection, supporting agency, voice, and positive influence
Flexible approaches to evidence, including portfolios, journals, creative outputs, photographs, presentations, peer feedback, and recorded reflections
Quality assured and well established, with a strong track record across the youth sector in Wales

The Youth Achievement Awards support young people to recognise progress, celebrate achievement, and develop the confidence and skills needed to influence the world around them.

If you’re interested in delivering the Youth Achievement Awards, contact us to find out more and discuss how we can support you.

“Good to review practice and theory, it was also a good opportunity to share experiences with peers from other organisations”

L3 Detached & Outreach 2024 Feedback

Anonymous

Meet our Trainers

Our trainers are experienced professionals with time-served expertise gained across a wide range of sectors — including youth work, education, business, health, social care, and community development. Collectively, they bring decades of practical experience and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by individuals and organisations across Wales. Each trainer is highly qualified, accredited, and passionate about empowering people to grow, learn, and lead. Drawing on real-world knowledge and evidence-based practice, they deliver engaging, high-quality learning that inspires confidence, builds capability, and creates lasting impact in every setting — from schools and workplaces to community groups and care environments.

Julia Griffiths

Julia is an experienced leader in youth justice, education, and social care. As Joint CEO of Youth Cymru, she leads funding, training, and quality assurance. Julia also lectures at The Open University, designing impactful programs that empower young people and professionals across Wales.

Read Julia's Bio

Laura Cox

Laura is Youth Cymru’s Training & Accreditation Coordinator. She oversees and promotes accredited training programmes that support community and youth-focused groups. Her work ensures quality, compliance, and learner support, helping programmes meet sector standards and deliver lasting impact.

Read Laura's Bio

Shannon Lacey

Shannon Lacey is the National Strategic Youth Operations Coordinator at Youth Cymru. She joined the team in September 2022 as North Wales Development Officer and has extensive knowledge in project management, research, funding, and strategic service delivery.

Read Shannon's Bio

What our partners say about the Youth Achievement Awards

“The Youth Achievement Awards have transformed how we recognise young people’s progress. The flexibility of the framework allows young people to set their own goals and evidence learning in ways that genuinely reflect who they are and what they’ve achieved. We’ve seen increased confidence, engagement, and pride — particularly among young people who had previously disengaged from formal learning. The support and quality assurance from Youth Cymru has been excellent, making the Awards straightforward to deliver and truly meaningful for our young people.”
— Youth Worker / Project Lead, Wales

“The Youth Achievement Awards provide a powerful and credible way to recognise learning that happens every day in youth work. The framework is flexible enough to work with very different groups of young people, while still offering structure, progression, and recognised outcomes. Youth Cymru’s guidance and quality assurance have given us confidence at every stage of delivery, and the impact on young people’s motivation and self-belief has been clear.”
— Programme Manager, Youth Organisation, Wales

Are You a Member Yet?

Youth Cymru membership offers access to exclusive training, professional development, networking, and resources. Members stay updated on sector trends, receive guidance on best practices, and gain opportunities to influence and enhance youth services in Wales.