Research commissioned by the Department for Education found no statistically significant difference between the two groups on a variety of measures including job satisfaction, career aspirations, progression and self-belief.
This is despite each student on the fast-track route costing an estimated £40,413 to train - almost twice as much as the £23,225 cost of students qualifying via post-graduate university course.
"The evaluation findings suggest no major points of distinction between Step Up to Social Work graduates and comparators following other qualifying routes," the evaluation states.
The Step Up to Social Work programme was created in 2009 in response to employers' concerns about the "practice readiness" of those entering children's social work via traditional qualification routes. The programme offers students a bursary while they study and the opportunity to qualify as a children's social worker in 14 months.
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