Edinburgh degree course reprieved

Plans to phase out the undergraduate social work course at
Edinburgh University have been scrapped.

Earlier this year, Edinburgh University announced that it was
considering discontinuing the course owing to a lack of
applications.

Edinburgh Council’s social work department had expressed concern at
abandoning the undergraduate course at a time when recruitment and
retention of social workers was a major local and national
problem.

Les McEwan, director of social work at Edinburgh Council, said:
“The presence of an undergraduate social work course in the
research-based University of Edinburgh is of immense importance to
employers of social workers in all sectors in the City and
surrounding areas.”

The council and the university will look at employer bursaries for
students, joint use of teaching resources, and collaboration in
sponsoring and supporting research of mutual interest.