County Pays Tuition for Social Workers

Facing a prolonged shortage of social workers needed to assist its burgeoning poor and homeless population, the county government is paying $336,000 for 20 employees to get advanced social work degrees in exchange for signing an employment contract through the year 2000.

The employees, who began classes this week, will each receive $16,800 in tuition subsidies for a 27-month master’s program run by USC’s School of Social Work. To accommodate the students’ full-time work schedules, USC instructors will offer part-time classes in the Ventura County Government Center.

After civil engineers, social workers with master’s degrees have been the most difficult employees to recruit, said Kim Voyle, manager of career development. About 30 of 200 social worker positions remained unfilled throughout the last year, and there was a 25% turnover rate in the staffed positions.

The county pays employees with a master’s degree in social work $26,000 to $40,000 a year, with higher salaries going to those with three or more years experience in a clinical setting.

The 20 students chosen from a group of 35 applicants will be responsible for paying $175 of the $475-per-unit cost. Many have managed to secure financial aid to cover their $9,800 share of the tuition, Voyle said.

Under the job contract, the employees agreed to work one year after graduation for each $2,500 that the county pays toward their education. Upon graduation in 1993, they will be committed to work for the county for 6.7 years.