Our Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) provide a fully funded pathway for individuals to a achieve a degree or for organisations to invest in the talents of their workforce.
The BA (Hons) Social Work (Graduate Apprenticeship) is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding necessary for professional practice, aligned with the Standards in Social Work Education.
The degree spans four years, progressively developing students’ competence and readiness for real-world social work roles.
The degree has been designed in partnership with social work agencies and employers to ensure that it delivers the skills, knowledge and understanding required by practicing Social Workers and leaders now and in the future.
Apprentices apply their learning in their professional practice from Day 1, working on real-time projects that create a tangible benefit for society.
UWS Link Tutors help apprentices to integrate their learning into their workplace and support the delivery of the work-based learning modules.
Delivered by social work experts and practitioners from our Paisley campus using modern teaching practice with blended learning, society-led projects and innovative work-based assessment that balance theory with day-to-day professional practice in the workplace.
Graduate Apprenticeships are built on a partnership between employers, apprentices and UWS. This enables you to align their learning with their workplace activities and apply your new skills and learning in a professional environment from Day 1.
To do this, apprentices are supported by a dedicated UWS Link Tutor and a Workplace Mentor will work together to maximise the opportunities to accredit the learning taking place in the apprentices’ workplace activities.
As a result, Graduate Apprentices are uniquely placed to integrate their academic skills, knowledge and practices with their workplace practices contributing to increased benefits for communities.
work-based learning
Understanding and Skills
The BA (Hons) Social Work (Graduate Apprenticeship) has been developed in partnership with industry to ensure that the learning is aligned to an organisation's needs.
The course fully embraces the principles of Work-Based Learning. It is delivered over four years and apprentices undertake 120 credits per year (three terms per year). Work-based learning and Work-based assessment strongly underpin the course.
Apprentices are taught by our GA teaching team of subject-matter experts from the School of Education and Social Sciences who deliver modules through personalised tuition, support, and feedback. Our team of dedicated UWS Link Tutors are also on-hand to help apprentices to integrate their learning into their workplace and support the delivery of the work-based learning modules.
In Year 1, students focus on foundational knowledge, covering the history, organisation, and roles within social services, alongside introductions to psychology, sociology, and social policy, establishing a strong social science base.
Year 2 emphasises developing specialist skills such as critical reflection, communication, and applying theory to practice, with opportunities to engage directly with service users and organisations, fostering professional identity.
Year 3 prepares students for the transition to practical settings through simulated scenarios in the core module, Advanced Skills, leading to a mandatory 80-day placement. This experience allows students to demonstrate their competence in real-world environments, consolidating prior learning.
In Year 4, students undertake a final 100-day placement, evidencing all professional standards, and engage in a capstone research project and professional development planning.
The course culminates with initiatives preparing students for the Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW) role, integrating theory, skills, and practice into a comprehensive framework aimed at readying graduates for professional practice.
Programme Specification and Module Descriptors for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are available to download (PDFs). These provide you with core information concerning your chosen subject.
For individuals and organisations who wish to find out more about the BA (Hons) Social Work (Graduate Apprenticeship), please contact our dedicated team:
You can also get in touch directly with Usman Ahmad, Industry Engagement Manager:
£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
Estimated costs per year of study.
Applicants must meet all of the following:
In addition, you must have employer support to:
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria above, please explore our extensive range of career-focused undergraduate degrees and continuing professional development opportunities.
Please complete the form below and submit as a supporting document as part of your application.
EVIDENCE OF EMPLOYER SUPPORT
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.