Over 200 people attended the social work open evening held on the 9th February 2011 at Peterborough Town Hall. The event, organised by Peterborough City Council (PCC) and the Faculty of Health & Social Care (FHSC), gave visitors the opportunity to find out more about the trainee social work scheme run by PCC as well as the part-time course offered by FHSC.

Kathy Kingham (Part-time Pathway Leader, FHSC) opened the evening by discussing the part-time programme (one of very few offered in the UK) and the various options available to applicants. She was followed by Julie Barnard (Peterborough City Council's Children's Workforce Development Manager) who spoke about the trainee scheme. The final presentation on the PCC trainee scheme was given by current FHSC students who spoke about their experiences from the application process and starting at University to preparing for placements.

Jonathan Secker (Recruitment & Communications manager) commented:

'The evening was a great success and has got busier each year. The Council trainee scheme is always popular but this year we saw increased interest in the self funding route and people really keen to gain a formal qualification that will allow them to make a difference. I'm sure the 2012 event will be equally busy and I think we need to start looking for a bigger venue!'

Those unable to make the event may wish to consider attending a social work taster day in Peterborough. Further information can be found on our Taster Day page.