CAST seeks to help community with human services providers

Human services providers are in high demand due to the swell of social and personal stressors over the past few years and these occupations are projected to grow 17% over the next eight years.

In Arizona alone, there are more than 9,000 open Human Services positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors that are in desperate need of a highly qualified hiring pool.

The Human Services program at the University of Arizona’s College of Applied Science and Technology is not only hoping to answer the workforce call, but also provide for the communities they serve by becoming only one of 50 and the only fully online Human Services Bachelor’s program that has been given accreditation by the Council for Human Services Education.

Dr. Sheena Brown, Human Services Program Director at the UArizona’s College of Applied Science and Technology, along with Dr. Tina Buck, spent over a year working to demonstrate how the Human Services program met 21 highly rigorous standards, along with preparing for a virtual site visit by the Council for Human Services Education.

Brown noted, “Graduates of our program value social justice and work in fields such as case management, residential care administration, probation, human resources, behavioral health, policy and advocacy, and much more. Our graduates often pursue a master’s degree in social work, school counseling, criminal justice, disability law, marriage and family counseling, hospital administration, and other healthcare fields. Our structured internships not only serve community agencies but often result in job opportunities.”

One of the accreditation standards emphasized throughout the program is self-care, which assists students in preparing to withstand the stresses associated with the nature of their work.

“We had to prove our program, classes, and assignments meet the standards of accreditation,” Brown said. “Most importantly, we had to demonstrate that the curriculum was relevant to current career requirements, but also that the program is rooted in community need and support.”

She also noted that being awarded this accreditation gives students the confidence to know that they are entering the workforce after graduating from a program with the most relevant and rigorous educational standards that a Human Services program can be held to.

To meet accreditation standards, students will be required to complete 350 hours of internship work. Students may qualify for up to 215 hours of prior hands-on learning experiences adding to 135 hours of a structured Advanced Internship being mentored by seasoned professionals.

Brown believes this sets the program apart from others because “We’ve ensured that the internship experience benefits the community, as well as the student, making it a meaningful experience all around.”

Dr. Eric Mapp, Applied Science Department Head said, “This is a program preparing students for a career field seeing growth in both opportunity and salary as employers are looking to add specialists to their Human Services workforce.”

Mapp said expansion of certification programs is on the horizon to ensure that professionals already in the Human Services workforce can continue to access education that can advance their careers.

— Submitted by CAST