Youth work training package review: More of the same or radical rationalisation?

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