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Helen Keville looks at how the new social work degree will affect part-time employment-based routes to qualification.

Much is still unknown about the content and structure of the new three-year social work degree, even though the government expects the first courses to be in place by 2003. In order to begin work on the detail, the Department of Health and General Social Care Council recently launched a series of regional discussions with universities and employers, as part of a critical period of planning and consultation.

The new degree holds the promise of higher standards, better recognition and increased practice experience. But what are the implications of the changes for the growing number of part-time employment-based routes to a diploma in social work? Since 1998, my local authority has supported between 16 and 25 employees per year on three-year courses specially developed for us by our partner colleges. This experience has convinced me that an understanding of employment-based learning should be an important influence on future thinking.

With college fees, placement costs and staff cover to be funded, the employment-based DipSW is not a cheap option. It places considerable stress on students as they balance study with working in a demanding job, and can stretch teams to breaking point as they cope with the regular absences of staff attending college.

Even so, a recent evaluation of our scheme showed that students were unanimous that both their placements and ongoing work experiences enhanced the quality of their learning. They reported feeling more confident and aware of good practice, better informed and more able to communicate with other professionals.

In a climate where departments are being asked to rapidly increase the levels of qualifications in the present social care workforce, the needs of employed and experienced staff, currently being met by employment-based DipSW programmes, should become a significant factor in shaping the new social work degree.

A national framework of entry requirements is needed to recognise the existing skills and knowledge of employees, and to help organisations prepare their staff for social work training.

As the pool of qualified social workers continues to shrink, a three-year degree funded by higher education could offer an attractive career to young people. One of the strengths of social work is its ability to recruit a broad range of people through a variety of access routes. If the profession is to expand, a clear aim of the planning and consultation process must be to make it easier for employed and experienced staff to undertake training.