The Education Workforce Council (EWC), in partnership with ETS Wales, has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to deliver and develop the nationally recognised Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales until January 2023.

The Quality Mark badge of excellence assures young people, their parents, guardians, funders, partner organisations and other organisations of high quality youth work provision.

Hayden Llewellyn, EWC Chief Executive said: “In Wales, we are undergoing a period of major education reform, and high quality youth work provision plays a crucial role in this.

“We look forward to developing the Quality Mark alongside ETS Wales and other partners to ensure this provision delivers the appropriate support to young people in Wales to improve their life chances.”

Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams AM said: "The Quality Mark is an important tool to help youth work organisations really raise the bar for the important work they do.

“I look forward to seeing the new contract build on the momentum of the successful Quality Mark and ensure this reflects the vision set out in our Youth Work Strategy for Wales."

ETS Wales Chair, Steve Drowley added: “The Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales is one of the key foundations of good quality work with young people.

“We're delighted to be part of the process for ensuring young people have a voice, are properly supported by well trained and qualified youth workers, and benefit from a wide range of opportunities through voluntary and maintained youth work services.”

Since 2015, 17 youth work organisations in Wales have achieved the Quality Mark. As the new awarding body the EWC will work with these organisations and the sector as a whole to develop and grow the Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales.

Find out more about the Quality Mark for Youth Work in Wales.

The Education Workforce Council (EWC) has today published its latest good practice guide for maintaining professional boundaries with learners.

The guide is intended to aid registrants in managing and maintaining positive professional relationships with learners. The guidance provides good practice based on the principles outlined in the EWC’s recently revised Code of Professional Conduct and Practice.

Liz Brimble, EWC’s Director of Qualifications, Registration and Fitness to Practise said: “We are pleased to add this important guide to the support materials already available to our registrants to help them reflect on their professional responsibilities and to assist them in maintaining the principles set out in the Code.”

In the fourth of a series of good practice guides, the guidance also raises registrants’ awareness of different types of breaches of professional boundaries and provides real-life examples of cases referred to the EWC for investigation.

Read the Good Practice Guide for Maintaining Professional Boundaries with Learners.

We deliver regular training and awareness sessions on topics, such as professional responsibilities and ethics and using social media responsibly. If you're interested in arranging a session, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 029 2046 0099.

The Education Workforce Council (EWC) has published a new report examining how a blended approach to delivery can maximise the impact of professional learning and could improve access to learning opportunities for education practitioners, in all parts of Wales, as the new curriculum is introduced.

As well as examining recent academic and professional literature on blended learning, the research team spoke to stakeholders and experts from Wales and beyond to help build a sophisticated picture of how different blended learning approaches can be used to benefit learners.

The report makes a series of recommendations, which are based on the following three themes:

• Establishing professional learning infrastructure and cultures that embrace blended learning and provide a consistent offer to practitioners in all parts of Wales;
• Embedding a learner-led system where individual learners direct their own professional learning, based on blends that suit their individual learning requirements; and
• Establishing a sustainable approach to elements of the professional learning offer, ensuring that they are embedded in the culture of our education system and are capable of enduring political, funding and organisational changes.

The report’s findings build on previous research undertaken by the EWC in 2018, which was one of eleven commissioned by the Welsh Government to support the development of the National Approach to Professional Learning (NAPL).

Rob Humphreys, a member of the research group said: “Flexible online learning opens up huge opportunities for teachers to enhance their professional knowledge and skills. The greatest benefits for our teachers - and of course the students they teach - will only be secured by the right combination of face-to-face, distance and flexibility in the design and delivery of professional learning. 

"This report focuses on that combination, starting from the real experiences and professional practice of teachers in schools.”

Professor Ken Jones, lead researcher said: "We welcome the Welsh Government's commitment to seeking out new approaches to professional learning. This report continues to explore blended learning approaches drawing on experiences from other countries and other professions.

“We invite further suggestions and examples of ways in which a learning blend can be adapted to support all professionals in our schools."

Read 'The National Approach to Professional Learning: The Professional Learning Blend 2.0'

As the independent professional body for the education workforce in Wales, we are delighted that the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, has asked us to share the important news that she has today published the revised Curriculum for Wales guidance. 

The guidance will be invaluable to all our registrants working in schools and other settings as they prepare to implement the new curriculum in 2022. 

Please find attached a personal letter from the Minister regarding this landmark publication.