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Become a Social Services Worker - Professional
Build the skills and experience to support people facing addiction, mental health challenges, and life transitions in your community.
Gain Industry-Recognized Certifications
Earn your First Aid & CPR, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), Suicide Intervention (ASIST), FoodSafe® - Level I, and WHMIS certifications
Scholarship
Up to $5,000* available for eligible students, until June 30, 2026. *Terms apply.
Campus Availability
Surrey, Vancouver
Increase Your Income Potential
The median wage for a Social Services Worker in BC is $27/hr. Jobbank.gc.ca, 2026.
Program Overview
Social Services Worker - Professional Certificate
Advance your career in social services with specialized, real-world training. Vancouver Career College’s Social Services Worker – Professional program prepares you for more focused roles supporting youth, individuals in recovery, and communities facing complex challenges.
Build advanced skills in addiction recovery, youth justice, mental health, family support, and advocacy. Through dedicated practicum placements in both recovery and youth settings, you’ll gain hands-on experience working directly with the populations you serve.
Before graduating, you’ll earn multiple industry-recognized certifications, including:
- Standard First Aid – CPR certification
- Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) certification
- Suicide Intervention Skills Training
- FoodSafe® – Level I
- WHMIS for Employees
Recognition
Training that meets industry and regulatory standards
Our programs are designed to meet established industry and provincial requirements, helping ensure your education is respected by employers and aligned with current workforce expectations. This commitment reflects our focus on quality training, accountability, and career-ready outcomes.
Program is approved by the Registrar of the Provincial Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU)
Program Requirements
Speak With Admissions
Admission & Requirements
Admissions advisors will guide you through each step
Academic Requirements for Admissions:
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Proof of high school graduation or equivalent (General Education Development or BC Adult Basic Education)
OR
Mature student status (19 years of age upon starting classes)
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Proof of English Language proficiency
*Note: Transcripts from an institution outside of Canada must be verified by an international education credential evaluation service, such as WES or ICES.
Administrative Requirements for Admissions:
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Complete the ‘Student Declaration – Social Services Worker Programs’ form (provided by the college)
Practicum, Clinical Placement or Preceptorship Requirements:
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Criminal record check (in accordance with the Criminal Records Review Act)
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Up-to-date immunization report (form provided by college)
Making Your Education Accessible
Financing your educational journey shouldn't hold you back. At Vancouver Career College, our dedicated team of Student Financial Planners is available to guide you through available financial option, depending on what you may qualify for.
Potential Funding Options
Government Student Loans: Government of BC-sponsored loan assistance for eligible students.
Student Lines of Credit: Offered through financial institutions, allowing you to borrow as needed.
Grants, Bursaries and Agency Funding: You may qualify through federal or provincial retraining programs, including WorkSafeBC and other government agencies.
Personalized Financial Support: Your Student Financial Planner will help you explore potential funding sources and identify options based on your situation.
Scholarships
We've awarded over $1 million in scholarships to students across all backgrounds. Talk to your campus Student Financial Planner to find out what you may qualify for.
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Successful completion of all on-campus courses with a 70% overall average.
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Successful completion of all industry-certified courses provided during the program.
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Successful completion of the work experience component.
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Successful completion of all assignments and tasks required in the Career and Employment Strategies course.
Career Paths for Social Services Worker - Professional
Your Social Services Worker Professional certificate opens doors to specialized roles across BC's youth, recovery, mental health, and community services sectors.
- Family Social Service Agencies
- Group Homes
- Correctional Facilities
- Community Mental Health Facilities
- School Programs
- Aboriginal Agencies
Find market-ready opportunities with guidance from Career Services.
What You'll Learn
Graduate With Practical Skills
From addiction and youth justice to relapse prevention and advocacy, your training prepares you for specialized social services work in BC.
Social Services Worker - Professional - Program Courses
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and study techniques to help foster effective learning and a positive educational experience. This course explores many different theories on learning and studying and how these theories can be applied to each student’s individual studying methods in order to develop a method that is both effective and efficient. Effective study habits and productive note-taking are key topics in this course, as well as the importance of values and goals. Through active participation in learner-centred activities, students will explore and practice strategies for setting personal goals, prioritizing tasks, managing time, and managing the stress that arises in school or work situations. This course will also equip students with a sound understanding of matters related to finance, credit, and debt and the critical implications they have on our lives. Students taking this course will complete the Enriched Academy program, which provides comprehensive coverage of financial and money management skills that will allow them to better save, budget, and manage their money and financial situations.
This course introduces the students to the basic elements of using a computer with an emphasis on the functionality of an operating system and tasks related to file management and word processing. Relying very heavily on a hands-on practical training approach, students learn by doing through skills based simulations, training and assessments. The course provides an overview of Microsoft 365 where you will learn about the common features of the applications and file management
fundamentals. The course then focuses on the core features of Microsoft Word where students learn proper document formatting, organization and editing using the tools and features of the ribbon. The course will then continue with more advanced topics such as working with tables, lists, objects, templates footnotes and endnotes and mail merges.
This course is designed to give the student an introduction to social service work in Canada. Social service workers and allied professionals play a pivotal role in improving the social welfare of individual people and whole communities. These helping professionals do so from a variety of contexts, but from a coherent “strengths-based’ values platform. Students will learn what social services workers do, how they do it, why they do it, and what good it does.
This course helps the student understand the basic elements of adult interpersonal communication. All professional communication skills (such as counselling skills, interviewing skills, and so on) are supported by a foundation of adult interpersonal communication.
Focusing on the four main areas of communication -- verbal, nonverbal, interpersonal, and group -- the course gives the student opportunities to intensively practice basic communication skills via role-playing, feedback, and other practical exercises.
This course presents diversity from a much broader perspective than just race and ethnicity, exploring a broad spectrum of cultural and diversity issues and their impact on the client-counsellor relationship. Students will have the opportunity to learn from external speakers with expertise in specific communities as well as an opportunity to hone their clinical skills via role-playing.
Why Choose This Program
Why Students Choose Our Social Services Worker - Professional Program
Built for outcomes, not just credentials
From your first class to your practicum placements, the focus is on building specialized, job-ready skills. Learn from experienced instructors, gain confidence working in real community settings, and graduate prepared for more focused roles in social services.
- Two supervised practicum placements in both youth and recovery settings
- Advanced training in mental health, addiction, advocacy, and community support
Still have questions? Book a campus visit and talk with our Admissions team.
I am grateful for the education and mentorship I received through Vancouver Career College, which contributed significantly to my professional readiness and confidence.
The Social Services Worker (Professional) program at Vancouver Career College has been a great learning experience. The instructors are supportive, and the classes are both practical and interesting. I learned a lot about helping others and understanding community resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Social Services Worker - Professional Program FAQs
Vancouver Career College is approved by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. For more information, visit the PTIRU site here.
Our campuses offer a variety of start dates, in some cases, every two weeks. To learn more about our upcoming start dates, please reach out to your campus of choice HERE
Our experienced Student Financial Planners can provide further details on program funding. Refer to the Financial Options webpage for more information.
Programs may be available in a variety of modalities. Please refer to the specific program page to learn more. If you have additional questions about learning online, please click HERE to learn more about admissions.
You can find our tuition listed HERE.
The length of this program is listed in the Program Overview section on this page. Have questions? Click here to connect with an Admissions Advisor.
Start Your Career in Social Services Worker - Professional
For over 30 years, Vancouver Career College has delivered trusted career training. Explore how our programs can support your goals. Connect with an advisor today.
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