This established course opens the door for you to step straight into youth work. Only one other provider in London offers a postgraduate JNC qualification as part of a master’s course. You will develop the ability to build confidence and trust in others, to deal with challenging behaviour and to engage, support and mentor young people in London – a dynamic environment for youth and community work. The PGDip programme is professionally validated by the National Youth Agency – the national agency for youth work in the UK – so as well as a Master’s qualification, you will leave us with accredited Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) youth work status. In the university-based sessions, you will learn the principles of group work, theory, management and supervision as well as gaining insight into youth work policy. You will then apply this knowledge in the field. You could be organising workshops in schools, putting on informally structured learning activities, developing young people’s inter-personal skills or working with partner organisations, such as the Youth Offending Service, housing associations, community organisations or schools. The dissertation element of the course can have a tangible impact in the real world. The range of roles open to you now is as rewarding as it is wide. You could move into the Third Sector, a social enterprise, a housing association, a voluntary organisation or even a college. For example, a local college has employed graduates of this course as student enrichment officers – in effect working in informal education on a college site. Other graduates are working as youth workers, in pupil referral units and youth offending teams. You could specialise in more targeted work, whether it is around learning support, diversion from crime or working with people already in the justice system. As your career progresses and you gain both experience and credibility in the field, you can move into more senior roles, perhaps shaping policy, working in national charities such as Barnardo’s or The Children’s Society or taking a sideways step into a non-governmental organisation (NGO).