Social workers are the human face so many Australians rely on in crisis, but the nation is suffering from a shortage of these critical workers.
The Australian government’s most recent Skills Priority List shows a lack of social workers to meet demand in every single state and territory.
Thankfully, the Australian College of Applied Professions is experiencing growing demand for places in our social work discipline, particularly in our postgraduate Masters and Graduate Certificate courses. In response, the College has opened up additional places for postgraduate social work students in 2024, with a one-off ‘Trimester 4’ intake commencing on 4 November in Adelaide and Melbourne.
The November intake will mark the launch of postgraduate social work at ACAP’s Adelaide campus. To encourage more students to study in South Australia, where social workers have been in short supply since 2022, ACAP will offer new students starting in Trimester 4 or Trimester 1, 2025 at our Adelaide Campus a 20% first-year tuition discount.
Professor Annie Venville, head of Social Work with ACAP said social workers are highly employable, and are set to become even more so.
“There is huge demand for social workers,” she said.
“Social work has a higher-than-average employment rate. The latest figures released by the Government suggest that employment for Social Workers is predicted to rise 23.2 per cent by 2026. Social Work is highly diverse and our graduates can work just about anywhere.”
From studying an undergraduate qualification to securing employment, our social work students consistently remark on the personalised education and industry insight they receive while studying with ACAP.
We spoke to a postgraduate student and alumnus about what motivated them to pursue a career in social work through ACAP.
Natasha Chamberlain
Natasha is a former nurse of 10 years, completing her Master of Social Work (Qualifying) with ACAP.
She decided to embark on a career in social work after experiencing the healing potential of the profession firsthand.
“This year I encountered difficult personal circumstances, which led me to become a single mother of two beautiful kids, and I had a social worker support me through this difficult time,” she said.
“This sparked my passion for a selfless career, in which I will be able to focus on supporting people through difficult times in their life.”
"ACAP has been phenomenal, they have opened the door for me to achieve my new career path and I am very thankful to be a part of this college."
“What makes ACAP truly special is that you are not just a number, your lecturers and ACAP staff will get to know you. Your teachers are all currently employed in a social work role and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with us future social work students.
“To anyone thinking of embarking on a career in social work and studying their Master of Social Work (Qualifying), I would highly recommend ACAP.”
David Skidmore
ACAP graduate, David Skidmore, is a qualified social worker and advocate for the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association (MDAA).
Having previously worked in the not-for-profit sector, David completed ACAP’s Master of Social Work (Qualifying) in order to open up a career in social work.
"All the lecturers were supportive and well qualified, with some of them active social workers, while still teaching at the same time, so all the experience they were sharing was current and highly relevant,”
Part of David’s work now involves representing clients living with a disability to help them obtain the best services from agencies such as the NDIS, Centrelink, and the Department of Education.
He said his best skill coming into his role is empathy.
“Clients don’t want to work with someone who is going through the motions, they want a professional who has an emotional commitment and is invested in them,” David said.
“It doesn’t mean you have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you must show an interest in their issue and do your best to resolve it. That is what will make you stand out.”
