Social Work (integrated degree) Level 6 Apprenticeship (Starting between August 2026 and July 2027)

Social work changes lives. The BSc (Hons) Social Work degree apprenticeship enables you to develop the understanding and skills to support society's most vulnerable people to ensure their wellbeing. You will have the opportunity to develop both the academic grounding and practical skills you need to become a skilled social worker with the professional skills, knowledge base and placement experience that will help you stand out.

Throughout your studies, you will explore the critical issues that affect people's wellbeing and learn how to safeguard their interests and promote greater independence. You will learn about psychological and sociological theories for understanding individuals, families, groups, and communities. You will deepen your understanding of law, policy, and communities, and how the legal, social and organisational context shapes what social workers do. You will also have the opportunity to explore contemporary practice, consider how research can inform your practice, and understand best practice, including how to think critically and creatively in complex situations, and how different professions can work together to provide better services.

This course is available on a full-time basis and is taught in-person at our Yeovil campus. For Apprentices, there will be circa 42 – 45 contact days per academic year. Approximately 30 of these contact days will be on a one-day-per-week day-release basis across the 30 teaching weeks of the academic year. In addition there will be up to 3 ‘block weeks’ throughout the academic year of intensive teaching.

In addition, placement and practice-based learning are an integral part of the course.

In the first year of study, apprentices will need to undertake 30 ‘skills days’ as part of the Preparation for Social Work Practice module. The College will have a full programme of 30 days of simulated activities and observations which Apprentice learners may engage with, however, Apprenticeship employers may choose to provide some, most, or all of these 30 ‘skills days’ of simulated and observation activity within their own setting. The content of these 30 days would need to be discussed with, and approved by, the Social Work academic team at Yeovil College before the commencement of the academic year to ensure an appropriate breadth and depth of activity.

In the second year of study, learners need to complete a 70-day placement, and in the third year of study, a 100-day placement. These placements need to “provide contrasting experiences” for the apprentice, and the 100-day third year placement must take place within a statutory setting “providing experience of sufficient numbers of statutory social work tasks involving high-risk decision making and legal interventions”. The 70-day placement may also be in a statutory setting, or may be in a voluntary, private, or third-sector setting. It is permissible for one of these placements to be in an apprentice’s usual working team, however, is essential that the Apprentice is allocated appropriate tasks and work during their placement days to meet the requirements of the course, and that this differentiation is made clear to both the learner and colleagues with whom they will be working. For the contrasting placement, the College can work alongside the employer to identify an appropriate setting, or the College is open to accommodating suggestions made by the employer directly – recognising that ‘swaps’ between teams or settings with apprentices are often employers’ preferred way of approaching this.

Please note that this qualification is still subject to approval by Social Work England.

As outlined above, the BSc (Hons) Social Work degree includes 170 days of mandatory placement – 70 in Year 2, and 100 in Year 3. This experience hones students’ social work skills, knowledge, and professional network.

Students may be allocated placements across a range of settings, including statutory, voluntary, private, and / or independent organisations. Placements can be located within a 50 mile radius of the College and will expect students to attend for a full working day (precise hours vary between placement settings). When on placement, students will have the support of a practice educator and a link tutor at the University Centre to support with applying their understanding of law, policy, skills, and theory in practice.

Upon completion, graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with Social Work England (subject to Social Work England accreditation of this course), to practice as social workers. Graduates will be qualified to work with adults or children, and to apply for jobs in the statutory, voluntary, independent, or private sector.

It is anticipated that many students will gain full-time employment with their placement organisations, although this is not guaranteed.

The course would also qualify you to progress into further study, such as a Master’s degree.

You will study a range of units that will develop your specialist knowledge and skills. Modules currently offered include:

• Social Work Law for Practice
• The Life Course and Social Work
• Social Policy, Social Justice, and Social Work
• Relationship Based Social Work Practice
• Preparation for Social Work Practice

Year Two

• Young People, Children, Families, and Social Work
• Mental Health and Social Work
• Adults and Social Work
• Social Work Practice 1

• Social Work Research Proposal
• Future Social Work Practice
• Ethics and Values for Social Work
• Social Work Practice 2
• Decision Marking, Risk, and Complexity

Please be aware that modules studied may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline or in response to student and stakeholder feedback. Students can always find the most up-to-date information about their modules and who is teaching them in the course handbook.

Contact time in taught sessions varies across the duration of this programme, in particular during periods where learners are on placement. For Apprentices, there will be circa 42 – 45 contact days per academic year, on top of placement and practice-based learning. Approximately 30 of these contact days will be on a one-day-per-week day-release basis across the 30 teaching weeks of the academic year. In addition there will be up to 3 ‘block weeks’ throughout the academic year of intensive teaching. As with all HE programmes, students are required to take ownership of their learning and development and should expect to spend time studying and completing assessment tasks with independence outside of lectures.

Each module will include assessments that will need to be completed by set deadlines. More information on assessmentmethods is included in the "How will I be assessed?" section below.

Tuition Fees: For Apprentices, tuition fees will be met through the apprenticeship funding. For more information, please contact the Yeovil College apprenticeship team.

Additional Costs: Travel expenses will be incurred by students when undertaking their placements and shadowing opportunities. Whilst some students may choose to buy their own copies of certain key texts this isn't essential as relevant resources are available through the College's Learning Resources Centre.

Typical entry requirements are 112 UCAS tariff points from two A levels or equivalent, BTEC Level 3 Diplomas, or a Access to HE Diploma. UCAS points from other qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers, or Advanced Highers are generally accepted. Grade 4 (C) in GCSE English (or equivalent) is required. Grade 4 (C) in GCSE Maths (or equivalent) is required.

Whilst employers can operate their own recruitment processes for apprentices, we would expect the entry requirements above to be followed in most cases. Mature students (aged 21 and over as of 1st September in the academic year of admission) who do not hold the full Level 3 academic qualifications outlined but hold relevant equivalent sector experience, will also be considered for admission, and the University Centre have a robust pre-entry assessment process to ensure that experience is recognised, whilst simultaneously ensuring all students are set up to succeed. Please email university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk to find out more.

In addition, before starting the course, learners will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check and a Health Check. These will be conducted in line with the regulations of UWE Bristol which are published here https://www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/applying/professional-checks-for-health-and-education!

If you have any questions, or want to know more about this course, please get in touch! If you are an employer wishing to work with Yeovil College to deliver this apprenticeship, call the Apprenticeship team - 01935 845392 or email (apprenticeship@yeovil.ac.uk.

If you are a potential student, you will need to find an employer willing to employ you as a Social Worker Degree Apprentice to study this course. Alternatively you can explore the direct-entry BSc (Hons) Social Work degree that the University Centre offer – have a look at the web listing, or contact (university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk for more information.