Employability

Social Work students go on two assessed practice learning opportunities which are delivered in partnership with social work agencies. This involves full-time work in statutory and/or voluntary sector agencies working in either children's or adult services.
Students on our Initial Teacher Education programmes (PGCE and IPGCE) go on up to three placements, allowing them to put their learning into practice and to link theory research and practice.
Our partnership schools are involved in the design of our programmes and in providing on-going training and support for students during periods of school experience.

Watch our teacher employability videos in which former PGCE students describe some of the different routes into finding a permanent teaching job. Watch videos on Youtube.

Career progression is facilitated for PGCE students and Social Work students through ‘meet the employers’ open days where recruitment bodies, employers and recent course graduates provide information stands and/or give short talks and advice to the whole student group.

We offer a number of competitive Q-Step work placements over the summer period for our Year 2 Sociology, Criminology and Social Policy students. Students receive a bursary for the duration of their 6 week placement. The placements give students the opportunity to apply their research skills training in a "real world" work environment.
Our students have been involved in a range of activities while on placement, from producing government briefings while at the Northern Ireland Assembly to publishing articles online for The Detail.
Queen’s is one of only 15 Q-Step Centres in the UK, established to provide a step-change in the social sciences with regards quantitative research training.