Developing specific key competences has become increasingly important for youth workers to work internationally, and this development is starting to show up on the agenda of the European institutions. Providers of non-formal learning, training and education, as well as Erasmus+: Youth in Action are today also paying closer attention to these competences. We are convinced that if we identify and describe youth worker competences better, this will help improve the image and recognition of youth workers in society. At the same time, we have developed strategies, tools and educational materials that will make capacity-building more effective.

Our approach connects youth and education policies to the objectives of the Erasmus+: Youth in Action programme and vice versa. The competence model adds an international dimension to youth work in Europe. Moreover, it helps define quality criteria and indicators (in and for youth work), as highlighted in the Council conclusions on quality of youth work (2010) and in the final declaration of the 2nd European Youth Work Convention (2015): ‘[…] there needs to be a core framework of quality standards for youth work responsive to national contexts, including competence models for youth workers, and accreditation systems for prior experience and learning […]’.

We approached the task of developing a Competence Model for Youth Workers to Work Internationally in two ways:

1. We gathered existing documents related to learning mobility and to the competences of youth workers involved in transnational learning mobility projects.
2. We analysed the existing practise in international youth work – based on professional experiences and reports.