The development of a national youth work training package
in Australia began over 15 years ago. The current package
sits under the umbrella of the general Community Services
Industry Training Package. The first stage of a review of this
package has been completed and the subsequent report
not only confirms the recent trend towards the privatisation
and employer domination of the training process, and the
subsequent de-professionalisation and multi-vocational
skilling of traditional youth work, but also raises serious
questions regarding the future of stand-alone youth work
training in the VET and TAFE sectors in Australia.