University of Bolton, Deane Road, Bolton. BL3 5AB
“At the University of Bolton, we take great pride in providing a quality, supportive learning environment for our students.”
Professor George E Holmes DL | President & Vice Chancellor
“...tutors are very supportive and you’re not just a student ID number, at this university you are an individual with a name.”
Ellisse Vernon | BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
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This course is 'Subject to Approval' and has not yet completed the University’s approvals process. Whilst we are confident that the course will be approved, there is the possibility that the course may not run or may be subject to alterations. This course is due to be validated by August 2019 after which we will write to all applicants who have applied for the course to let them know the outcome and of any changes. In the event that a course is not approved the University will make reasonable efforts to offer an alternative course at the University.
The University of Bolton's Social Work England-approved BA (Hons) Social Work (Degree Apprenticeship) allows you to invest in your workforce by combining university education, work-based learning and ongoing professional development. While working as valuable members of your team, your apprentices can develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to support people in complex and challenging situations and bring about positive changes for individuals, families and communities.
Award:
BA (Hons)
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
3 years
Location:
University of Bolton
UCAS points:
120
Start date:
To be confirmed
Our Social Work England-approved BA (Hons) Social Work (Degree Apprenticeship) is designed to support the development of confident, highly competent, compassionate and professional social workers who perfectly match the needs of your organisation. You can offer structured on-the-job training and a nationally recognised qualification in social work, helping you attract the best new talent and retain valued staff through career progression. Integrating study into the normal working week will allow your apprentices to put their new skills and understanding into practice immediately, benefitting your organisation and the communities you serve without delay.
This programme has been fully mapped to the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship standard (ST0510) and studies at the University will complement learning in your workplace. We'll work with you to devise individual learning agreements for each of your apprentices, ensuring they fulfil the criteria of the apprenticeship, as well as develop additional skills and knowledge valuable for your organisation.
We'll focus on preparing your apprentices to maintain professional and ethical standards while supporting positive change in people's lives in order to improve their wellbeing and independence. Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will support them in developing a sound knowledge of social work theory, models, legislation, policy, ethics and interventions that will underpin their professional decision-making. When they successfully complete this qualification, your apprentices will be able to use their professional expertise to work, assess, plan, implement, evaluate and intervene, putting the needs of your clients first and ensuring their voice is central to decision-making.
If you're looking for undergraduate-level training in this subject area but don't work for an employer that offers apprenticeships, please see our related courses section for details of study opportunities that don't require current employment.
This programme is approved by Social Work England.
On successful completion of this course, your apprentices will have been assessed as meeting the professional standards required by Social Work England and the professional capabilities for qualifying social workers. As a result, they will be eligible to apply for registration with Social Work England as a Social Worker.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
The BA (Hons) Social Work (Degree Apprenticeship) is designed to meet the integrated degree apprenticeship standard for Social Workers (ST0510). Developed by employers, the standard underpins a highly relevant qualification and professional development pathway that educates social workers to provide help and support directly to individuals, couples, families and groups, and support people who face a range of challenges such as poverty, mental health issues, addiction and family problems. Social workers may provide one-to-one support such as therapy and counselling or connect people with community resources to help them overcome their problems.
Employers can expect graduate apprentices to possess a wide range of transferable skills, such as resilience, advanced communication and negotiation skills, as well as the ability to manage conflict and exercise authority in complex situations, manage risk to self, service users and colleagues, and enable others to achieve their goals.
Graduate apprentices from this programme should prove valuable to local authority children's or adult services, as well as to private fostering agencies, voluntary organisations and charities. When they successfully complete the course, apprentices will be well prepared for a career in social work and to work their way up to positions of greater responsibility in the sector.
They will also be ready to progress to postgraduate-level study in subjects such as community justice, social policy and counselling. Studying for a PhD or professional doctorate is another option, or they could pursue a career in teaching by undertaking the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
Apprentices will need to be employed by your organisation for a minimum of 30 hours per week. Your organisation will also need to commit to sponsoring apprentices to complete this qualification.
For further information on how your organisation can access funds to support apprentices, please e-mail apprentices@bolton.ac.uk.
Whether you’re an employer, employee or school leaver, please visit our Apprenticeship web page for support and advice regarding apprenticeships.
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Apprentices will not be expected to pay tuition fees towards this programme. If your organisation has a wage bill of more than £3 million per annum, then it may be able to fund this apprenticeship through its Apprenticeship Levy contributions. If your organisation does not pay the levy, it will be eligible for government support to fund apprenticeships. This support, called co-investment, covers 95% of the apprenticeship's tuition fees, with your organisation funding the remaining 5% of the fees.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
There may be some additional or optional costs associated with this course. These will be published after approval of the programme.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.
For support and advice regarding apprenticeships, please visit our Apprenticeship web page.
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
To make this course as beneficial as possible for you and your apprentices, we apply a range of learning, teaching and assessment methods, including online delivery and engagement where appropriate. These are designed to fully engage apprentices, helping them to develop the skills, knowledge, self-awareness and behaviours essential to become a social worker, with particular reference to your organisation and their place within it.
Learning focuses on your workplace environment and builds the transferable body of knowledge and skills demanded to achieve professional registration with Social Work England as a social worker and apply this expertise within your organisation. Your apprentices will spend the majority of their time gaining on-the-job knowledge and experience. They will also complete at least six hours per week in off-the-job learning, including studying at the university.
To complement lectures that introduce the course content, seminars and group-based activities allow apprentices to explore subjects in greater detail. Tutorials allow them to clarify their understanding of the topics we cover in lectures and seminars. We use case studies and practical scenarios to help apprentices apply their newly acquired academic knowledge to real-life problems and gain valuable insights into contemporary practice in social work. Apprentices will also be expected to undertake considerable guided independent study; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for seminar and tutorial activities, and working on assignments.
Inter-professional practitioners from the health and social care field will contribute as guest speakers offering your apprentices the chance to further develop their knowledge and understanding.
Our assessment methods are designed to reflect what will be required of social workers in the field. For example, the course requires apprentices to submit written reports, give presentations, develop their portfolio, complete a work-based project, and practice interviewing skills. We also expect them to take written exams, write essays and reflective accounts, and participate actively in group discussions. Some assessments contribute to their final module marks, while others are designed to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, and where they need to seek extra support from course tutors.
PLEASE NOTE: 100% attendance for practice-based learning is required, and absences or missed components of practice-based learning will have to be completed at a later date.
A minimum of 80% attendance is required for programme modules in order to progress and achieve the award for which an apprentice is registered. Apprentices must attend scheduled sessions. Please note that attendance is taken into account when making Assessment Board decisions. Apprentices may be withdrawn due to poor attendance.
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.
M.Kirlew@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903782
N.Hassan@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903437
apprentices@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903940