PgDip Social Work (Integrated Degree Apprenticeship)

Earn a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in social work while gaining vital experience in the workplace. Graduate with highly valuable skills to boost your career prospects and help you improve the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable people.

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Start date/study mode:

Course codeCID1520

Duration2 years

Course summary

The PgDip Social Work (Integrated Degree Apprenticeship) equips you with the knowledge, skills, and professional experience needed to make a meaningful impact in people's lives. This course blends rigorous academic study with practical placements, ensuring you learn in both classroom and real-world settings.

You’ll engage with service users, carers, and experienced practitioners, gaining first-hand insight into the realities of social work practice. Our teaching team, alongside guest speakers and lived experience sessions, brings the challenges and rewards of the profession to life.

Throughout the course, you’ll connect theory with practice, developing essential competencies in assessment, intervention, and professional decision-making. Graduates are well-prepared to work across a variety of settings, including local authorities, NHS Trusts, schools, residential care, voluntary organisations, and private agencies. In addition to eligibility for professional registration, you’ll enhance transferable skills in communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving – ensuring you're ready to navigate the complexities of modern social work and future career opportunities.

We also offer an undergraduate social work route – the BA (Hons) Social Work (Integrated Degree Apprenticeship).

Why Sunderland for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

Accreditations and approvals

How you'll learn

You'll complete at least an additional 30 days of skills development both on the job (recorded within a workplace skills development tracker) and within the University (for example, in communication skills sessions).

Your progress will be assessed with group projects/presentations, written assignments, observed interview, professional discussion, portfolios, and exam(s). Throughout the apprenticeship, you'll have one-to-one support from academic staff, as well as regular meetings with your tutor and workplace mentor to review your progress.

Each year of the course starts with a block of university-based teaching and study days, followed by attendance at the university or independent study one day per week (often alternating on-campus attendance and study). The taught sessions are generally workshop style and also include small group work.

You'll also complete two assessed practice placements – a 70-day placement in Year 1 and a 100-day placement in Year 2 – during which you'll have the opportunity to gain specific experience so that you can demonstrate the appropriate knowledge and skills.

Entry requirements

To apply for an apprenticeship, you must be supported by your employer and work in a setting where you have:

Day to day contact with service users and/or carers
A breadth of opportunities across the full range of knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the Social Worker Apprenticeship Standard.

You must also have previous experience (voluntary or paid) in a social care setting. This can include placements which you've undertaken as part of a college course, but we do expect more experience than this. This could include volunteering during weekends, evenings, or holidays. We may also consider any personal experience you might have. You should clearly describe this experience in the personal statement section of your application and show how this relates to a career in social work.

We also require:

A minimum 2:2 undergraduate degree, or equivalent
A minimum grade C/4 in GCSE English language, or equivalent.

If English isn't your first language, you may need International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 7.0 in all components.

If you meet the entry criteria, you'll be invited to a selection day, which includes a written test, group exercise, and individual interview.

Fees and finance support

Larger organisations can use their apprenticeship levy and government top-up to pay tuition and professional fees of higher apprenticeships. For smaller employers, the government pays 95%, with the remainder co-invested by the business.

For a discussion around your specific requirements please call 0191 515 3361(opens in new tab) or email apprenticeships@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

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Start date/study mode:

UK students

Apprenticeship September 2026
Application deadline is 1 June 2026

To apply for a higher or degree apprenticeship, you must have an employer in place to support you on the course. If you're interested in applying and have an employer in place, please email apprenticeships@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab) and we'll send you the relevant application link.

To search for apprenticeships offered by employers in your area go to: gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship(opens in new tab).

For a discussion around your specific requirements, or if you're an employer interested in creating a vacancy, please call us on 0191 515 3361(opens in new tab) or email apprenticeships@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Disclaimer

We want to make sure you have clear and accurate information about our courses. Our website always shows the latest updates. If you’ve applied and you're offered a place, we’ll contact you in writing if anything important changes.

For more information, view our programme specifications. These include course content, learning outcomes, and the skills you'll gain.