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Getting Started School Leaver

If you're interested in exploring a career in social work or volunteering (which is often required for acceptance onto degree courses), use this section to discover the next steps available to you.

Choose and click the area you are interested in exploring from below:

-Social Work
-Volunteering

School leaver

Click the option below which best describes your current situation.

If you leave school at 16 or 17 and are interested in becoming a social worker, you can start a course in Social Care at a local further education college or pursue a apprenticeship in Health and Social Care. Both of these options will enable you to build up experience in the social care sector and you may also be able to combine this with voluntary work. Through job experience and NVQ assessments, you could become eligible to enter the degree course and if employed within the sector, your employer may provide funding for you to do this. 

Next steps

Check out your local further education colleges to see if they offer social care courses or talk to your school careers service or local Connexions service. They should also be able to give you information on apprenticeship opportunities in your local area.

For further information about Apprenticeships see www.apprenticeships.org.uk

  • Do you have any questions? Try our Q&A section.
  • Use our Links section to access Social work organisations.
  • And don't forget to check out the Volunteering section.

Back to Getting Started: Social Work