Paul McCafferty

Research suggests that social work practitioners do not have some of the required knowledge and skills to practice competently once qualified (McCafferty, 2020).  Consequently, key stakeholders have begun to question the quality of the learning experience students receive during their preliminary university training and education. They question the ability of traditional dyadic pedagogies to equip students with the knowledge and skills employers require of them to work in the complex and fluid world of professional practice. There is also a growing concern among stakeholders that curricula are ‘too academic’ and that academics fail to engage sufficiently well enough with experts in the field when designing learning outcomes, developing teaching materials and creating assessment methods and that as a result students lack the required sector skills needed by employers.

As educators, it is up to us to respond creatively to these concerns and generate innovative, balanced and more engaged pedagogies and curricula that serve the dual purpose of equipping students with the requisite academic knowledge to learn and subsequently graduate, and develop sector level skills that are aligned with employer and societal need.

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