Problems and their solutions of social welfare education are to be influenced by not only educational institutions and practices but also research on the social welfare phenomena. Based on this insight, this study discussed problems and their solutions of the Korean social welfare education from both the perspective focused on educational institutions and practices(education-first approach) and the perspective centered on social welfare research(research-first approach).
In Korea, certification of social workers has been based on course-completion system in which certificate of social worker can be issued if he or she completed only 14 subjects while in school. The course-completion system has exerted negative impact on the professional prestige of social workers as well as the educational institutions and practices in Korea. In order to solve this long-pending problem, an educational accreditation needs to be introduced but it will require much debate and time. In the short run, strengthening the field education would be both reasonable and realistic approach to improve the quality of social welfare education.
In response to changes resulted from the fourth industrial revolution, the most important research agenda are social relations and normative criteria needed to evaluate the changes of social relations. The fourth industrial revolution will radically change the nature and significance of social relations. To establish the identities of social welfare practices and direction of social welfare education faced with these great turn, we should stand open socio-political viewpoint rather than deterministic perspectives related with technological changes or population problems or fiscal prospects.