Payback time for graduate recruits

The Scottish executive is to offer to reimburse up to £9,000
in student loans for some social work graduates as one of several
measures to address the recruitment crisis.

The incentive will apply only to students who accept a job in
specialities worst affected – children’s services, mental health or
criminal justice. There are about 400 vacancies in these areas in
Scotland.

The incentive will apply to students who complete the new social
work honours degree.

Other parts of the package involve piloting a fast-track system for
graduates with other relevant degrees to retrain as social workers,
a “return to practice” scheme to encourage trained staff back into
the profession and extra money for colleges and voluntary
organisations to cover the cost of practice placements.