North East adult social care degree apprenticeship addresses care crisis

Tackling a recruitment crisis in social work is at the heart of an apprenticeship programme offering an affordable academic route into the profession.

For the last four years, a partnership between Gateshead Council and the University of Sunderland has been offering career progression through a Degree Apprenticeship programme to a number of its experienced Adult Social Care staff, who need those essential academic qualifications to become a fully-qualified social worker.

Without this programme they may otherwise have struggled to go through a traditional university degree route, due to social and financial disadvantages. Apprentices are employees who spend most of their time in the workplace, supported by dedicated study time with the University. They are levy-funded if an organisation is a levy payer.

Thanks to the success of the current apprenticeship scheme - upskilling and retaining staff within Gateshead’s Adult Social Care team - it was felt more avenues should be explored to attract more people to the sector, with University of Sunderland support once again.

The result is a new Trainee Social Worker Apprenticeship programme, this time employing three people with no prior training, ideally with personal or professional experience of the care sector and holding 120 UCAS points.

Sarah Beck, Principal Lecturer/Team Leader in Applied Studies, at the University of Sunderland, says: “We have a track record of working together over the last four years to develop the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship Programme. The real strength of this programme is the true partnership working that it’s based on.

“This is not about the University putting on courses that employers then send staff on; it’s about planning a programme together, that meets the needs of employers and staff members, which has a lasting impact and also maintains that level of academic rigor.”

Sarah added: “The programme also fits in with the University’s Widening Participation agenda, attracting learners from all walks of life, raising aspirations and promoting social inclusion within our region.”

The partnership work between the two organisations also forms part of the North East Social Work Alliance, which sees the region’s 12 local authorities, from the Tees Valley to Northumberland, in partnership with six Higher Education Institutions focusing on social work education.

The first cohort of Social Work apprentices are due to graduate from the University of Sunderland later this year.