The nature of employer’s involvement in social work education: An international exploration

Abstract

Email interviews and internet inquiries were used to explore the nature and extent of employer engagement in qualifying social work education programmes across 10 countries: and USA. Findings indicate considerable variations in the nature and extent of engagement in admissions processes, programme management and assessment of student competence. Practice learning/field education was the main area for employer engagement. The desirability of employer engagement is discussed.

The expansion of developmental social work in Southern and East Africa: Opportunities and challenges for social work field programmes

“…Participants offered numerous examples of the ways that programs were creatively supporting students to experience developmental social work, through enhancing their practice curriculum, orchestrating practice opportunities, and creating new placements. The good news from this research is that the pedagogical commitment of social work programs in Southern and East Africa appears to have resulted in a continuation − and perhaps an enhancement − of the creativity and ingenuity identified in earlier studies (Ferguson & Smith, 2012;Lombard, 1997Shardlow et al, 2011Simpson & Sathiparsad, 2011).…”

“…There were also claims that the practice of fieldwork in Africa was often constrained by external factors leaving it subordinate in status to, and less rigorous than, on-campus academic activity (Dhemba, 2012;Kaseke, in Bar-On, 2001). For example, studies consistently found increased competition between academic institutions for, and an acute shortage of, relevant placements (Chitereka, 2009;Dhemba, 2012;Dziro, 2013;Hochfeld et al, 2009;Hoffman, 1993;Shardlow, Scholar, Munro, & McLaughlin, 2011). With only limited placements available -as well as financial constraints for students and social work programs -fieldwork opportunities were often geographically limited, possibly resulting in compromised learning (Chogugudza, 2009;Dhemba, 2012;Dziro, 2013).…”

“…Creativity and innovation had resulted in developing and placing students in non-traditional settings (Lombard, 1997), including social action and community-based placements (Ferguson & Smith, 2012;Gray & Simpson, 1998;Travis, McFarlin, van Rooyen, & Gray, 1999), while developmental models were trialled in some conventional settings (Neilson & Gray, 1997). Some social work programs had developed on-campus entities that served a public purpose, while providing placement opportunities (Hoffman, 1993;Shardlow et al, 2011;Simpson & Sathiparsad, 2011). Others had established fieldwork units in external social service agencies that might be funded to some degree (Hoffman, 1993) and in community settings (Gray & Simpson, 1998).…”

Promoting Social Work Graduates’ Employment Through the Social Work Curriculum: Employers’ Perspectives on the Employability of Unisa’s Newly Qualified Social Workers

“…In turning to the literature to find answers to the questions posed, the study by Shardlow et al (2011) of the nature and extent of employer engagement in qualifying social work education programmes across 10 countries (including South Africa) found the following:…”

“…Apart from the abovementioned summary of the findings from the study by Shardlow et al (2011) This lacuna in the body of knowledge on employers' perspectives on the employability of NQSWs, in view of promoting graduates' employment by informing the Social Work curriculum, is regarded as the research problem for the proposed study. Creswell (2016:88) classifies this as a "literature-related" problem, because "the topic has been understudied", and "there is little research on the topic."…”