Yes! Please complete this form if you would like to be notified when we open for applications (expected to be late November). We will include details of any webinars we are holding where you can learn more about the application process.    

Please see 'Am I eligible' for entry requirements.  Applicants who do not meet the criteria for one of the entry pathways cannot be considered for the apprenticeship.   

If you are a non-EEA citizen, the employer will require you to provide a valid visa that allows you to work in the Republic of Ireland. 

Please see here for English Language Requirements.   

HSE and Tusla are offering Apprenticeship in Social Work positions.

Posts will be advertised by the employers, on the Generation Apprentice jobs webpage and on the UCC Social Work Apprenticeship website as soon as they are open for applications (expected to be November each year for a June start). 

You must apply for and secure an Apprentice in Social Work position with one of our approved employers (HSE and Tusla). They will advertise apprenticeship jobs later this year for 2026 intake. 

As an Apprentice in Social Work, you will have a formal contract of employment and will be paid for the full period of your apprenticeship. You will receive employee benefits, including annual leave entitlements.

You can apply to one or more employers. Each employer requires a separate application. Each employer reserves the right to shortlist candidates for interview for their own service – this means that candidates who apply for more than one apprenticeship may or may not be called for interview by each respective employer. 

The locations and availability of apprenticeships changes each year. Please refer to the specific employer job advertisement when that is released. 

No. You apply to the employers (HSE, Tusla or both), and if you are offered an apprentice post with an employer you will automatically be offered a place in UCC. UCC will then contact you explaining how to register with the University.  You will be required to submit transcripts that demonstrate you have the qualifications outlined on your employer application form, as well as proof of English language requirements if necessary. 

Apprenticeship positions are open to employees currently employed with an approved employer as well as those who are not. 

Your employer must firstly be approved to employ apprentices before they can employ you as an Apprentice in Social Work.  Your employer can complete the online expression of interest form on the Generation Apprenticeship website.

If you are a non-EEA citizen, the employer will require you to provide a valid visa that allows you to work in the Republic of Ireland. 

Please see here for English Language Requirements.   

You should contact CORU to see if you can register with them. If you cannot register based on qualifications you already have, and are resident in Ireland, you can apply for the apprenticeship.   

Successful apprentice candidates will be

(a) an employee and subject to employee code of conduct

(b) a registered student of UCC and subject to UCC’s student charter and code of conduct

(c) a registered apprentice and subject to the NAO’s apprentice code of conduct. 

Classes are timetabled for a full working week but some days classes will be online and some classes are pre-recorded. You will only attend UCC campus for two days a week during the off -the- job learning blocks as follows:  

Year 1: one 4-month block and one 1-month block that includes 2 days on college campus and 3 days online each week.  

Year 2: one 4-month block that includes 2 days on college campus and 3 days online each week.  

Yes, we welcome applications from people who do not have a university qualification but have sufficient relevant work experience. This is called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). RPL is learning that has taken place but has not necessarily been assessed, measured, or assigned credits. For non-graduates, you must have 5 years relevant work experience to be eligible for the apprenticeship. See Am I eligible for requirements of other entry routes. 

Your experience must be in a social work-related field.  It is up to each applicant to demonstrate how their experience is relevant to social work. We cannot provide a definitive list of relevant roles as each person’s experience in a role can differ. Take time to think about how the work you did is relevant and make sure you capture that in your application. Simply stating where you worked, without any indication of how the work is relevant, will not be sufficient. Outlining the relevance to social work is key. 

Your relevant work experience can be volunteer work, paid work, or a combination of both. 

You can combine several periods of work experience to make up the required relevant work experience. 

Again, the key is that you demonstrate how your experience is relevant to social work. 

Your work must be based on the full time equivalent. For example if you worked 2.5 days a week for 2 years, that will count as 1 year of full time work.  

This table breaks down some further examples of how different part-time work schedules translate into full-time equivalent experience, using a 35-hour week as the basis. 

We appreciate that applicants may not have an exact record of hours, but please try and be as accurate as possible when filling out your application.  

Yes, you will have access to a range of supports including UCC Skills Centre, which offers online and in person workshops, as well as other supports. The sessions help you to develop new skills and refresh old ones. The Skills Centre have significant free resources on their website, most of which you can access before being a registered UCC student. 

UCC Library also offer supports and workshops. See their current schedule here. 

The lecturers are very experienced and recognise that some people completing the apprenticeship haven’t studied recently. Our main aim is to support you to be successful in your studies!   

Often one area that students can struggle with is computer skills. You’ll be required to use the internet to attend classes online and to research assignments, you’ll need to use Microsoft Word to write your assignments, and you will attend lectures online. You will also use UCC’s online learning platform Canvas. Support is available with these, but basic knowledge is essential.   All UCC students will have access to Office 365 which includes software such as Word/Excel/PowerPoint etc. once registered.  

Apprentices also have access to the full range of Student Supports. 

The difference between the two academic programmes lies primarily in their entry requirements and pass standards. You can do either as part of the apprenticeship. Both are delivered together in the same classroom, with the same content, and successful completion of both programmes enables graduates to automatically apply to CORU for professional registration (CORU reserves the right to make the final decision about registration of each applicant).  Apprentices who enter the PGDSWS and maintain a certain grade requirement in year 1 have the option of switching to the MSW in year 2 (some chose to do this, and some don’t - this will be explained to you further during your studies). 

See also here. 

Qualifications must be fully complete to be considered for an entry route. Students who are still studying, including those in their final year, are not eligible to apply based on a qualification that is yet to be obtained. If this applies to you, you may be eligible to apply via another entry route. If not, you may be eligible to apply directly to the MSW/PDSWS programmes at UCC, or consider applying for the apprenticeship in a future year.

A full list of approved programmes equivalent to the Bachelor of Social Science (BSocSc) at UCC is available here: List of Equivalent Courses to UCC BSocSc (Oct 2024) 

We welcome applications from people with other level-8 degrees who have 12 months’ social work related experience. It is your responsibility to make sure you meet the entry requirements before applying.  Make sure you have the correct details for the qualification you have, including the NFQ level and title (e.g. Level 8 Degree in Law) when you apply. 

The duration of the apprenticeship in social work is 24 months (2 years). Therefore, registered students are not eligible to apply for a paid apprenticeship for the rest of their current studies.   

Apprenticeships in Social Work typically commence in June. 

The Apprenticeship in Social Work is not offered on a part-time basis.

Yes. There will be a graduation ceremony in UCC for all apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship.

Yes, you can join as a student member. See their website for further information. Please note that the Irish Association of Social Workers is a professional body – membership alone of the IASW does not entitle a person to refer to themselves as a social worker – only CORU-registered Social Workers can use the protected term ‘social worker’. 

Please review the Apprentice Handbook. 

If you have more questions you can email apprenticeship@ucc.ie