COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM CAREERS & RECRUITMENT CENTRE UQ BUSINESS SCHOOL UQ SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS TC BEIRNE SCHOOL OF LAW What is the Community Engagement Program? The Community Engagement Program (C.E.P.) provides students studying courses within Business, Economics and Law at the University of Queensland with the opportunity to work on real life projects within the community sector, engaging in an active learning environment with direct benefit to not for profit and charity organisations. The program is co-curricular (not for credit) and challenges students to develop their business planning and strategy skills, leadership capability and networking skills whilst giving something back to the community. To enhance the performance of the students, the program includes compulsory business consulting workshops run by external consultants on topics such as Market Research, Scoping a Project Brief and Presenting with Impact. The program is overseen by a full-time Project Coordinator and an Academic Steering Committee, which receives regular updates on the project and any project outcomes. Depending on availability, some project teams will be assigned a Project Advisor (UQ Academic, Alumni or relevant industry professional). Why get involved? Many not for profit organisations find it difficult to allocate resources and/or time to work on business projects. The CEP program links your organisation to a group of motivated undergraduate and postgraduate students who can use their educational skills to bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to a project. The program also provides students with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills and gain an insight into the challenges facing organisations in the “not for profit” world. What kind of projects? Examples of some recent projects are:  Social Media strategy for Talk Like a Pirate Day, a fundraising initiative that’s owned and run by Childhood Cancer Support.  Legal implications of the Regional Planning Interests Act 2014 for Queensland Farmers Federation. CAREERS & RECRUITMENT CENTRE P +61 3365 4222 E [email protected] careerservices.business.uq.edu.au  Design of HR policies and procedures, and cost benefit model for Joining Hands Australia, not-for-profit social enterprise supporting vulnerable young people to access natural health services and wellbeing programs.  Development of a successful financial plan for Love Your Work Wellness, who provide massage services to for-profit businesses that “pay it forward” to subsidise the service for non-profit employees.  Feasibility study and business plan for The Package, a subscription model mail order underwear distribution service which benefits not for profit organisations. What’s involved in the process? Projects are offered to students twice a year at the beginning of each Semester. The below table outlines the key milestones for all projects in the Community Engagement Program: 2/3 months prior to Semester PROJECT BRIEF CONFIRMED Stakeholders meet with the Project Coordinator to define the brief Semester Commences – Projects offered to students, groups are recruited Week 2-4 of Semester Week 5-6 MEETING WITH STUDENTS TASK BRIEF SUBMITTED Week 6-7 SECOND MEETING WITH STUDENTS Week 8-10 Week 10-12 FINAL REPORT PRESENTATION Week 12 + EVALUATION Students meet the key stakeholders and take a formal brief Students submit the task brief document for academic review, which outlines their approach to achieving the project objectives. Once approved, it is then submitted to their client Students meet with stakeholders to re-align, discuss their progress or adjust the scope, if required Students submit a final written report for academic review, before submission to their client Students present their work to the organisation, key stakeholders or the Board Students and participating organisations complete an evaluation survey What will my organisation need to provide? Resources  You will be required to provide a detailed brief on your proposed project. The program coordinator, with input from the nominated Academic Steering Committee, will work with you to ensure the Project Brief is set up to deliver the desired outcome, taking into consideration the timeframe for delivery, capability of the students and resources available.  The students may require access to annual reports, marketing materials, existing business plans, or other organisational materials. CAREERS & RECRUITMENT CENTRE P +61 3365 4222 E [email protected] careerservices.business.uq.edu.au Time commitment  The key stakeholders involved in the project will be required to give their time to meet the following minimum: 1 x meeting with Project Coordinator to confirm Project Brief 1 x meeting with the selected students (at your offices, or on campus) Review and feedback of the proposed task brief 1 x follow up meeting with the students Review and feedback on the final report Attend or host the final presentation (at your offices, or on campus)  Projects should be completed in one semester (3-4 months) and it is estimated that the students should allocate around 50 hours on project work in total. Where to from here? If your organisation is interested in proposing a project for the CEP program please contact: Cassandra Vickers Program Coordinator Careers and Recruitment Centre The University of Queensland E: [email protected] P: +61 7 3346 3458 CAREERS & RECRUITMENT CENTRE P +61 3365 4222 E [email protected] careerservices.business.uq.edu.au