The education of social workers at Chile: a matter of supply and demand?

Abstract

This article addresses the education of social workers from the perspective of demand and training opportunities generated by the Chilean higher education system today. Researching about: how many social workers are graduated and how is their geographic distribution? Which are the characteristics of the training institutions, regarding accreditation, funding models, tuition, etc.? Which are the characteristics of the students concerning information on gender and on educational establishments of origin? It also explores the process of labour market integration, reviewing employability indicators and salary levels compared with other category of graduated, and analyzing the «profitability» of studying Social Work. The main findings show the increased of academic programs of social work in recent years, in addition to the expansion of non-university programs, which by 2017 could generate greater number of diploma in social work than those from university, therefore with new scenarios for the profession. Another interesting finding is the origin of social work students, in addition to various situations for the professional practice, according to the territory. Finally, we conclude with a series of challenges for Chilean Social Work Schools, highlighting the need to generate a rational planning of social workers education in Chile.