For a student, putting something they’ve learned into practice can be a powerful experience. Genuine work-integrated learning opportunities – activities that combine academic study with participation in a work environment – can be hard to find, and often require resource-intensive planning even for a single student. UTS Shopfront offers a refreshing and unique approach to work-integrated learning that benefits not only the student, but also the wider community. It’s an effective, scalable and sustainable model that connects students and community, allowing students to build on and try out their skills, and community organisations to access much-needed support.
Shopfront flips the university-industry relationship to find out how we can benefit community, rather than just throw data and stats at them.
Course convenor
The UTS Shopfront model of working
The UTS Shopfront program is now offered across a number of different subjects at the University. Shopfront’s impact is far-reaching – the team has delivered 1,614 projects to 1,115 community organisations. In 2023 alone, the program worked with 2,185 students.
In the Shopfront model, students take on the role of external ‘consultants’ who work in small teams to respond to project briefs, providing expertise and skills to address organisational capability gaps. All Shopfront programs are curriculum-embedded and aligned with the UTS WIL Framework. Prior to and during their work with external partners, students are well-prepared, mentored, and have opportunities for debriefing and feedback. Community partners and academics are supported and contribute to the design and evaluation process of projects.
Working with Shopfront has saved the organisation both time and money and allows us to redistribute our resources to other areas of the organisation. In particular, the marketing and social media material has saved our team time and ensured maximum impact for our work. Massive savings were made by working with the Shopfront team, rather than a paid services business.
FreedomHub
These collaborations are more than just an assignment. UTS Shopfront upholds community voice as a central tenet of the work – while the program is concerned with providing quality learning experiences for students, it is equally concerned with meeting community needs and co-creating change alongside community organisations. These community organisations often lack the funding and resources to be able to do this kind of work.
[Shopfront provides] access to services and expertise that as a volunteer-run organisation with limited funding, we may otherwise not have had resources to access.
Project Didi
As a co-operative & not-for-profit, we are volunteer-run with limited funding and would never normally have the resources to pay people to do the work that the Shopfront students have done for us.
The Village Hub
Real-world results
The assets that students have developed alongside the community are diverse and impact society in a myriad of ways. For the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (NSW), students have produced research that has assisted with the representation of LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers at proceedings before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court System. For Glebe Youth Services, they have designed a music program for young people experiencing vulnerability to learn technical and soft skills that can be applied throughout their life. Importantly, all projects work to support and magnify organisational impact. Some further examples include:
- In Managing for Social Impact (School of Business) students worked on a communication strategy and evaluation plan for Vividhata and for the Hunter Wetlands Centre provided a re-design of the visitor centre.
- In Socially Responsive Design (DAB) students designed an exhibition for Leichhardt Women’s Community Health.
- In Management Consulting (School of Business) students developed a strategic business report for Mountain of Youth.
Our involvement with Shopfront has benefitted the communities we work with by increasing our learning in the area of promotion and branding, thereby generating a greater awareness of our services within the community. This also increases our confidence, moving forward, when promoting other events we might hold or donation drives we run.
Padstow Community Care
Inspiring social responsibility in students
The work doesn’t end with the collaborations between students and external partners. In addition to projects, students also complete learning modules that concentrate on building an understanding of current social issues and cultural humility. These skills help prepare them for work in the community sector and other professional roles. The modules are also available to other subjects across the University that engage with social impact in other ways. In 2023, these modules were presented to over 1,900 students and in semester 1, 2024 to over 1,300. In addition to building their professional skills, the Shopfront program is an opportunity for students to develop as citizens who are socially responsible, engaged in their communities and better able to address societal challenges.
I feel really honoured to have been able to make such a positive impact with my coursework… This has inspired me to be involved in my community more and to use the skills learnt over my degree to make real change within my area.
UTS Shopfront Student
The Shopfront journey continues
While Shopfront is currently at capacity for 2024, new projects and partners will be considered for 2025. If you’re interested in getting involved, head to the official Shopfront page for more information.
Upcoming event: Connect students with community to reach Sustainable Development Goal 16
Shopfront has been connecting UTS subjects with the community sector for almost 30 years, partnering with over 1000 community organisations, facilitating over 1500 projects across faculties.
Through case studies and key learnings, come and hear how the third sector has benefited from student engagement and how subjects or faculties like yours could implement these lessons.
This event is part of Global Goals month, tackling Goal 16 Sustainable Development, working towards the inclusion of social justice through WIL programs, like Shopfront.
Event details
Date: Mon 9 Sep 2024
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Location: UTS Tower (Building 1) Level 4, Exhibition Space
Book your tickets via Humanitix: Having Your Students Work With Community to Meet SDGs
This event will be facilitated by Dr Cale Bain, Learning Facilitator, Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.
Feature image by The Green Plot.