Distance learning gets thumbs up from social work graduate

Bachelor of Social Work graduate Roka-Reni Osborne (Ngāruahine, Taranaki) chose to study with Open Polytechnic because it allowed her to get a qualification while staying within her own rohe (region).

Distance learning meant Roka could stay close to whānau (family) in Taranaki and continue working at her then job as a beauty therapist, while she studied to fulfil her high school dream of becoming a social worker.

“My goal was to work within Taranaki after graduation, so it was beneficial to complete my placements here and build connections,” Roka says.

“The study outline suited me well, and I was able to have a good balance of study, work, and whānau commitments.”

Roka would have been less likely to study the Bachelor of Social Work if she had to move away to another city, as her main support network is in Taranaki. 

“That would have made study a lot more difficult, along with the added financial pressure of moving to a new place,” she said.

“It allowed me to be actively involved in the lives of my young niece and nephew, which is the most important thing for me.”

The social work seed was planted

Roka was first introduced to social work as a career at an employment information session in Taranaki, when she was still at high school. 

But it wasn’t until the COVID-19 restrictions took place in 2020, that she reconsidered studying towards a Bachelor of Social Work, while she continued working as a beauty therapist.

“This career (social work) sounded like it would have suited me well, as it aligned with my goals and passions for working with people to advocate for them and to empower them,” Roka says.

“However, I felt that it was not the right time for me to do that straight after high school, and I went down the path of beauty therapy, which has been an awesome career, that has taught me a lot of valuable life skills.”

“During COVID I had lots of time to think about the future and remembered what I had learnt about social work, I decided I was ready to take on the challenge of studying this degree in order to open doors for me to work with whānau (family) within the health and social services fields. Along the way I learnt a lot about myself as well, which was an added benefit.”

New role in the social work field

According to Roka, who has graduated from the programme, the Bachelor of Social Work is very practical, especially the placements, which are undertaken in the last two years of the programme.

“The experience from my placements set me up very well to prepare for a future in social work,” Roka said. 

Her first placement was with a kaupapa Māori iwi-led health organisation, while her second placement was within a hospital setting in the mental health field. 

Roka found the two marae-based workshops as part of her programme, allowed her to practice tikanga (culture) and prepare her mihi (introduction speech). 

“This was so helpful within placements as I used mihi to introduce myself often. Along with this it also helped to build my confidence to do so,” she says.

The Bachelor of Social Work also contains learning material about policy and legal procedures relevant to social work, and how these systems come into play when in a working situation.

This was beneficial for Roka when on placements where work is often underpinned by legislation.

“My last placement involved working with tangata whaiora (service users) who did not have capacity to make medical decisions for themselves, and the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act had to be applied,” Roka says.

“Since I had just learnt about this legislation during my study, I was able to have an understanding of what it was and what it involved, making me feel more confident and prepared.”

“Seeing this applied practically while on placement helped to cement this learning.”

Open Polytechnic highly recommended

Roka highly recommends Open Polytechnic as an option to those looking to study online. 

“As someone who lives semi-rurally it created an opportunity for me to undertake this study and open doors for new career paths,” Roka says.

Roka found the Open Polytechnic resources and support “incredible”.

“Open Polytechnic has a lot of support available if you need it, and this helps aid in success for learners,” she says.

“I feel confident that I was set up with the right foundations to help prepare me for the social work profession.”