Social work apprenticeship to be launched in Scotland

Article amended

A social work apprenticeship is to be launched in Scotland, providing a new route into the profession in the country.

Cabinet secretary for justice and home affairs Angela Constance announced this week that the Scottish Government would work with national skills body Skills Development Scotland on developing the training scheme.

The graduate apprenticeship, which will be open to those with or without a first degree, will enable candidates to qualify as a social worker while working in a sector role, for example, as a social work assistant*.

Social work apprenticeships have existed in England since 2019 but are not available in the rest of the UK.

Current training routes

In Scotland, people can currently qualify as social workers through university undergraduate or postgraduate routes, and via three existing part-time, work-based learning courses.

Full-time undergraduates from Scotland have their fees covered, those on master’s courses receive a tuition fee contribution of £3,415 per year – less than the full cost – and students on part-time schemes are liable for fees but can access means-tested support.

However, future graduate apprentices will have their fees paid by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) while also earning a wage.

The announcement was welcomed by leadership body Social Work Scotland (SWS), whose director, Ben Farrugia, said: “We welcome the news of more routes into social work, especially those which promote a more inclusive, diverse workforce.

“Implemented well and resourced appropriately, such a scheme will help the social work profession better reflect all of Scotland’s communities.”

Urgent action needed on ‘existential crisis’ for profession

The Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) said it welcomed “the addition of a graduate apprenticeship to the range of options to encourage more people to pursue social work as a career”.

“Urgent and impactful initiatives are required to address the existential crisis that is facing social work in Scotland, both in terms of recruitment and retention and the loss of generations of knowledge that have left many teams with their most experienced colleagues being two years post qualifying,” said a SASW spokesperson.

However, they said that the provision of multiple qualifying routes would only be effective alongside the provision of bursaries for students.

SASW and the Social Workers Union are campaigning for the introduction of bursaries for third- and fourth-year undergraduates while they carry out practice placements. 

As part of this, they have highlighted the superior level of funding received by nursing, midwifery and paramedic trainees, who receive non-means tested bursaries during their courses, not the means-tested support given to those on social work schemes.

*The article originally said – wrongly – that the qualification was at master’s level and only for graduates. We apologise for the error.