NAPE raises alarm over reduction in social work training seats at Memorial University
The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) is raising serious concerns following confirmation that seats in the Social Work Program at Memorial University will be reduced by 20% this year. This reduction comes on top of an additional cut implemented the previous year.
The decision, according to the union, arrives at a time when vacancies in social work positions across the province are already critically high. NAPE warns that further reducing training capacity will place even greater strain on Social Workers who are already managing overwhelming and unsustainable caseloads.
According to the 2022 Social Work Model Report, approximately 70% of social workers practicing in the province are graduates of Memorial University. Of the program’s current 100 seats, an average of 83 students successfully complete the program and go on to work within Newfoundland and Labrador.
“This decision will have direct and lasting consequences for both Social Workers and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who rely on their services,” says NAPE President, Jerry Earle. “Given these realities, reducing seats by 20% is incredibly concerning and, frankly, irresponsible.”
NAPE is calling on government to take immediate steps to maintain the social work seats in the Social Work program at Memorial University.