The main objective of the undergraduate General and Honours degree programme offered by the Department of Social Work is to equip its graduates for entry into the social work profession at the direct-service level. The Department's emphasis is on the development of generic clinical expertise.

However, many new graduates are also employed to pioneer professional social work in new settings where employers look to them to plan and implement innovative programmes. This requires knowledge and skills such as social policy analysis and organizational planning, non-profit agency management, social entrepreneurship, inter-organizational relationship building, resource mobilization and community networking. Module contents reflecting such knowledge and skills are incorporated into the curriculum.

Students are exposed to social service visits, skills laboratory training, fieldwork placements and module projects, among other applied learning methods. Field practice is a compulsory component in Social Work education and skills training. As preparation for entry into field practice, students are encouraged to undertake voluntary work in a social service agency.

Career Prospects

In recent years, a wide range of challenging professional job opportunities has opened up for social work graduates. Organizations that employ social workers include the following:

• Government Ministries Community Development, Youth and Sports; Defence; Education; Health and Home Affairs;
• National Council of Social Service (which includes the Community Chest and the Social Service Training Institute);
• People's Association, Community Development Councils and Constituency Secretariats; the National Youth Council;
• National Trades Union Congress;
• family service centres;
• child care and development centres;
• hospitals and health care centres;
• prisons, drug rehabilitation centres and halfway houses; and
• other people-helping agencies serving families, children, youth, people with disabilities and older persons. In addition, there are openings for social work graduates in areas such as social enterprises, industrial labour relations, human resource management, staff training, organizational development and consultancy, mass communication and human relations.