This paper explores the experiences of predominantly black minority ethnic (BME) students navigating their way from further education (FE) college Access courses to undergraduate social work programmes. It discusses tensions associated with balancing academic and professional entry requirements for social work education with principles of social justice enshrined in policy to widen participation to higher education (HE) and to the professions for those from less privileged social backgrounds. Drawing upon her doctoral study (Dillon, 2010a, 2010b) and insights from social reproduction, life course development and critical race theories, the author argues that entry to social work education is not without problems for some students. The central contention of this paper is that increased competition for social work education places and an overemphasis on academic qualifications and credentials may have had some unintended consequences for less privileged students, but particularly for BME students. The introduction of new national social work admission criteria giving equal weighting to academic and non-academic skills related to life course experiences and other ‘softer skills’ denoting personal suitability for social work is advocated to address this issue.
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