Can Paid Internships Save Social Work?
Global Social Service Workforce Alliance • By Pilar O. Bonilla and Elana Metz • For Social Service Workforce Week From October 23-27, 2023
“Not unlike other countries, the United States is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis with the price of higher education steadily rising along with the price of everything else, excluding salaries. Simultaneously, economists have warned of an impending shortage of social workers, as the profession experiences high turnover rates and low salaries, driving social workers away from the profession. In response to this shortage, social work programs are under pressure to train and graduate more social work students. Nevertheless, in their most recent annual survey, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the sole accrediting body of social work education in the U.S., reported that in the last 5 years alone, there has been a substantial decline in enrollment figures for Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs (-18.23%), Master of Social Work (MSW) programs (-2.47%), and Social Work Ph.D. programs (-39.5%), alongside a corresponding reduction in degree conferment.
In light of the shifting socioeconomic and political landscape and its ripple effects on students’ experience with social work education, it is imperative for the profession to acknowledge and proactively respond to these pressing concerns. One long-overdue solution that would ensure the advancement and sustainability of the social work profession is to pay students for their mandatory internships.”
