Lifelong Learning for Youth Work Practitioners in South Africa : Trends, Implications and Policy Issues

Lifelong Learning has become a tool for human capital development in Youth Work Professional Development. This article looks at the trends, implications and policy issues in lifelong learning for youth work practitioners in South Africa. Lifelong learning is an essential ingredient that ensures that young people and adults, more specifically in South Africa, accesses quality education in line with Sustainable Development Goals for Africa. Much has been written about the poor-quality training of youth work practitioners and South Africa introducing numerous youth development structures, which to date, remain unresponsive to the needs of youth workers, but little, if any, on education for liberation and development as an alternative strategy to youth workers' continuous professional development. In this article, documents such as National Development Plan, Sustainable Development Goals, government reports, and local and international literature was used to collect data. The dynamics of globalization and ICT call for a radical change in the Youth Work Professional development. Given complexity and fluidity of the youth work development environment, through open distance and e-learning mode, the lifelong learning will advance social transformation in the youth work practitioners by enhancing knowledge, skills, attitudes, abilities and empowering them as lifelong critical, reflective learners.