The YAF is proud of the range of vocational courses available to all young people who attend.

1.ALAN - Adult Literacy and Numeracy

Basic Skills are qualifications designed to help learners improve their literacy, language and numeracy skills and are available from ASDAN at Levels 1 and 2. They are also called Skills for Life and include Adult Literacy and Adult Numeracy (sometimes known as ALAN).

The Basic Skills of Literacy and Numeracy test technical knowledge and understanding, whereas Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number also test their application.

These qualifications can be used to give recognition for the knowledge and skills developed through many of the practical activities that schools, colleges, training providers and others already offer. They can give formal qualification status for skills developed through a range of programmes.

2.Youth Achievement Awards

The Youth Achievement Awards are an activity-based approach to peer education. The Awards are designed to help develop more effective participative practice by encouraging young people to progressively take more responsibility in selecting, planning and leading activities that are based on their interests. The peer group model encourages the development of a wide range of life skills through a flexible and informal approach.

The awards:

• Recognise and accredit young people's achievements
• Provide opportunities to achieve qualifications through non-formal learning
• Encourage progressive responsibility and ownership of learning
• Provide a mechanism by which to measure the quality of work with young people
• Reinforce good practice
• Encourage participation and social inclusion
• Use peer education

They enable young people to:

• Enhance self awareness and self-esteem
• Develop communication skills and resolve differences by negotiation
• Get on with and work well with others
• Explore and manage feelings
• Understand and identify with others
• Develop values
• Plan ahead

3.Wider Key Skills

Key Skills are skills that are commonly needed for success in a range of activities in education and training, work and life in general. They are:

• Communication
• Information and Communication Technology
• Application of Number

Wider Key Skills:

• Working with Others
• Improving Own Learning and Performance
• Problem Solving.

Evidence for the Key Skills may be drawn from work undertaken within: GCSE, GCE, AVCE, GNVQ and NVQ Qualifications; ASDAN programmes; work experience; employment; voluntary or youth work.

4.COPE - Certificate of Personal Effectiveness

The Certificate of Personal Effectiveness is a nationally recognised qualification outcome of the ASDAN programmes. The qualifications offer imaginative ways of accrediting young people's activities. They promote, and allow centres to record, a wide range of personal qualities, abilities and achievements of young people, as well as introducing them to new activities and challenges.

The module titles are:

• Communication
• Citizenship and Community
• Sport and Leisure
• Independent Living
• The Environment
• Vocational and Diploma Preparation
• Health and Fitness
• Work Related Learning and Enterprise
• Science and Technology
• International Links
• Expressive Arts
• Beliefs and Value

5.PSD - Personal and Social Development

The Personal and Social Development Qualification (PSD) offers imaginative ways of supporting young people in:

• Becoming confident individuals who are physically, emotionally and socially healthy
• Being responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society and embrace change
• Managing risk together with their own wellbeing as well as introducing them to new activities and personal challenges.

6.Employability

Units covered would include:

• Working with others
• Learning through work experience
• Career exploration
• Enterprise skills
• Rights and responsibilities at work
• Applying for a job
• Health and safety in the workplace
• Planning and reviewing learning
• Tackling problems
• Customer care