In my Master’s Thesis I focused on the current issue of employment of social work students at Social Work Centres (SWC) after completing their studies. Although SWCs are main institutions operating in social welfare, research and practical experience show that social work graduates often do not choose to pursue career at SWCs. This is becoming increasingly pressing in the context of staff shortages and the excessive workload of employees at these centres.
The Thesis consists of a theoretical and an empirical part. In the theoretical part I defined social work, the role of social workers and described the structure and development of the study program at the Faculty of Social Work. Special attention is also given to the topic of employment and the transition to employment after graduation, as well as to the organization and working conditions at SWCs.
The empirical part of the research is divided into two segments. The first is based on a qualitative research method, within which I conducted two focus groups with students of the Faculty of Social Work, exploring their experiences with study placement at SWCs and their perceptions of potential employment there. Based on the results of the qualitative research, I formulated hypotheses for the quantitative part, which I conducted using an online survey.
The results show that only a minority of students clearly express an intention to pursue a career at SWCs, while the majority are either undecided or do not wish to work there. Among the most commonly cited barriers to employment at SWCs are low salaries, excessive administrative workload, and the poor public image of SWCs. On the other hand, the most frequently mentioned positive aspects of employment at SWCs include appropriate working hours, the diversity of tasks, and direct contact with users. I also found that a positive experience during practical placement at a SWC significantly increases students’ intent to seek employment at such an institution. Furthermore, more than half of the respondents believe that the faculty does not sufficiently prepare them for work at SWCs, which points to a mismatch between the educational system and the needs of employers. An interesting finding also relates to the impact of the social welfare scholarship. Although it has a certain positive influence – students receiving the scholarship are more inclined to work at SWCs – this effect is not strong enough to outweigh the negative factors. The scholarship thus serves as an incentive but does not resolve the systemic issues.
In this thesis I emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach to improving the employment of young social workers at SWCs. I propose changes, both at the educational level and at the systemic level. It is also essential to improve the image of social work and SWCs as negative public perception reduces professional confidence and employment motivation.
The thesis demonstrates that the issue of employing social work graduates is complex and multidimensional and requires coordinated action by all relevant participants.
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