South Carolina Department of Social Services and the College of Social Work have announced a partnership to provide tuition assistance and employment for Bachelor of Social Work students.   
 
Titled the BSW Scholars Tuition Assistance Program, the Social Services agency will team with Social Work and other state institutions to recruit and educate Bachelor of Social Work students for future employment in the agency’s Child Welfare Services division. Three students will be awarded up to $5,000 for tuition assistance during the fall 2022 semester. Students will also complete an internship with SCDSS along with a two-year employment commitment upon completion of a BSW degree.  
 
“The impact and importance of this tuition assistance scholarship is that it will provide our BSW students with critical financial and professional development supports to fully pursue their educational and career interests,” said College of Social Work BSW Program Director Sudie Nallo. “Our students will be able to fully and freely be present in class and in the field without having the strain of financing their education impeding their studies.” 
 
SCDSS says the application process will be competitive and the new program will retain a well-educated and trained workforce to serve children and families in SC.  
“We are very excited about finding a way to financially support student experiential learning while training them for social work child welfare practice,” said Social Work’s Director of Field Education Melissa Reitmeier. “This will ultimately equip students with needed critical evidence-based skills to effectively work with children and families in our social service system in South Carolina.” 
The application deadline for the program is Sept. 30, 2022. For more information visit https://dss.sc.gov/about/careers/internships/child-welfare-bsw-scholars-tuition-assistance-program/.