Why a Career in Social Services /
Social Work?

If you are interested in helping people function more effectively in their environments and in improving the quality of life in society, then social work offers a promising career. Although some helping professions require advanced degrees even for entry-level positions, rewarding and challenging preprofessional employment as a Social Work Assistant is possible after completing our associate degree in Social Services Technology. Certificate programs offer the possibility of paraprofessional employment even earlier and enhance employability when completed with the associate degree.

With a shortage of professional social workers, the number of “social and human service assistants” is projected to be 77% higher in 2010 than in 2000. In fact, the Occupational Outlook Handbook (U. S. Dept. of Labor) reports that social and human service assistants “are among the fastest growing occupations in the economy.”

Consider the diverse employment opportunities that await you when you complete the following Wayne College programs:

Recommended Sequence of Courses (PDF)

• Social Services Technology/Social Work
   Transfer Program (the “Step-up” Program)
   (associate degree)
      226005 Curriculum Guide (PDF)

• Gerontological Social Services
   (certificate)
      226008 Curriculum Guide (PDF)

• Therapeutic Activities
    (certificate)
      2260 Curriculum Guide (PDF)

Click here to view admission procedures

Experienced Faculty
Faculty members are dedicated to helping students succeed. Their advanced study, licensure and credentialing, and years of professional social work experience ensure that students receive a high quality and practical education.

Practicum Experiences
Field work provides valuable, on-the-job experience in community agencies where students test career interests and apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to actual helping situations.

Job Placement
Graduates consistently report excellent success in finding social service employment, and current students are sometimes offered jobs even before completing a degree.

What is the “Step-up” Program?
 

The “step-up” program prepares graduates for immediate employment with an associate degree and the educational foundation for success when transferring to a bachelor’s degree program in social work. By qualifying graduates to be registered in Ohio as Social Work Assistants, the step-up program provides a wide variety of exciting career opportunities in social service organizations. Graduates work with families, children and adolescents, the elderly, and special populations like mentally and physically disabled individuals and veterans. Picture yourself in the following positions:

 
Our certificates, which can be completed independently, maximize career opportunities when combined with the associate degree. Using a “career ladder” approach, many certificate requirements apply to the associate degree, and students can receive all three certificates and the associate degree by taking only 10 extra credits.

The associate degree curriculum blends technical courses with general education requirements and additional liberal arts content. It enhances employability by combining theory with practical knowledge and skills and by integrating classroom learning with meaningful field work experiences. Some core social service courses focus on specific issues such as aging, addiction, and poverty, while others provide a more general knowledge base, helping skills, and workplace competencies. Additional courses required for certificate programs provide specialized training and, when combined with associate degree requirements, broaden career opportunities.

Graduates of the “step-up” program are employed in many different public and private agencies. Likewise, they are consistently successful when pursuing additional education, with many graduates completing bachelor’s and even master’s degrees.

The “step-up” program provides the foundation for future success!

Click here for more information about
the Associate Degree / Baccalaureate Transfer (“Step-up”) Program