Internships in social entities in the offer of Social Work in Spain: learning from the practices and their actors

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study that analyzed the struc-ture, organization and offering of internships as part of undergrad-uate degrees in Social Work at Spanish universities (82), as well asthe intended attainment from these work experiences in socialinstitutions and entities. The content of undergraduate degreesin Social Work taught at Spanish universities (37), the coursesrelated to internships or work placements (85), and the range ofspecific skills associated with these courses were analyzed. Thecontent analysis of the selected skills identified and described 42professional skills. The results of this study provide insight into theoffering of undergraduate degrees in Social Work in Spain, as wellas skills acquired from internships that relate to professional activ-ity. Social Work internshipsare a transactional space of collaborativelearning between universities, the profession, and social entitiesthat generate clear potential for all the involved parties. The acqui-sition of skills, abilities and competencies through internships facil-itates understanding the use of methodology in differentprofessional areas and levels, as well as the application of ethicalproblem solving principles and strategies; this facilitates the acqui-sition of professional skills in all areas of development