This article compares the only two countries--the UK and Finland--that have systematically applied the concept of curriculum to youth work on the national level. It begins by charting the development of a curriculum in youth work in England which has culminated in the production of the new UK government's Department for Culture Media & Sport funded 'National Curriculum for Youth Work' produced by the NYA in 2020. Whilst this entails a shift for youth work in England and removes an element of democracy for local youth workers to agree and establish their own priorities, it does provide a clear policy direction for a beleaguered youth sector. This article then discusses the published findings of a 10-year action research project led by the Finnish Youth Research Society which has worked with local youth workers and managers in a variety of municipal youth work organizations (N = 6) to establish local youth work curricula. The model has been utilized in 26 municipalities since. The Finnish experience provides a marked contrast to the UK youth work curriculum, as they argue their approach is a more authentic method of establishing a youth work curriculum. The documents produced a clear representations of youth work practice and they contrast with the top-down national curriculum framework. Whilst the UK model may be a positive response to the policy challenges facing youth workers in the UK--the Finnish experience raises questions of the currency within and ownership by the field of any youth work curriculum.