Community engagement, skills and employability

The purpose of this booklet is to provide essential information about the Professional Experience Program in particular, the unit BIPX202 Professional Experience . This booklet is especially written for organisations that may be hosting our students for this program.

ACU is the, a public university funded by the Australian Government and open to students and staff of all beliefs. We have six campuses in Australia and offer programs throughout Australia and overseas.

ACU has an established reputation for quality and innovative teaching and specialist tertiary education in health, education, business, arts, social sciences, and theology. The students enjoy the benefits of small, friendly campuses and small class sizes, and have direct access to highly qualified lecturers and outstanding student support services. ACU is dedicated to rigorous intellectual scholarship and the individual’s pursuit of truth and academic freedom. Its ethos is derived from Christian values and the Catholic intellectual tradition, and our core concern is with ethics in all fields of endeavor.

The Peter Faber Business School offers a range of degree programs including: Bachelor of Commerce,

Bachelor of Accounting and Finance, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Information

Technology, Bachelor of Arts/Commerce and Bachelor of Commerce/Business Administration. These degrees include up to three Professional Experience units, which together form the Professional Experience Program.

The Professional Experience Program is a series of up to three unique ‘experiential’ units offered to our students.

It allows students to build on their academic experiences through industry-based learning. Professional Experience is an integral part of all the degree programs offered at the Peter Faber School of Business. The positioning of Professional Experience units in each year of the degree helps students to understand the realities of the workplace, to put their academic studies in context, and to enable them to begin professional work immediately upon completion of their course.

The first Professional Experience unit, Community Engagement – Building Strength and Capabilities (BIPX202), is a mandatory core foundation unit for all undergrad students. This unit provides students with a combination of disciplinary understanding of the contribution of not for profit enterprises to the economy and society, in addition to experience in providing services through structured community engagement in a not-for-profit organization. Students in this unit will develop critical employment skills which they will hone in the context of working in a not for profit organisation. These skills will include organisation, team work, a service mindset, self- development and initiative. This unit reinforces the University Core Curriculum by enabling students to volunteer the community in a three-way partnership between the student, the university and participating organisation.

The mission statement of ACU expresses a commitment to serving the common good with a fundamental concern for justice and equity, and for the dignity of all human beings. The University Strategic Plan 2009 - 2019 supports the development of student awareness of social responsibility to the wider community.

ACU graduates should be professionally competent, and able to contribute significantly to both their own profession and to the broader community. Professional Experience A enables students to complete a voluntary period of Community Engagement in a not-for-profit organisation. Students provide Community Engagement by directly assisting the Clients accessing services or support from not-for-profit

organisations. Professional Experience A endeavours to engage students to serve the common good and to develop a concern for social justice and the dignity of all human beings.

Community Engagement is designed to foster students' awareness of:

· Social justice issues and the economic and social effects of modern life.

· The responsibility of individuals to the wider community.

· Their personal, ethical and spiritual development.

· The importance of communication skills.

· Skills for successful teamwork.

· The value of reflection on their experiences.

The range and scope of activities undertaken by students for Community Engagement may include:

· Directly talking with, reading to, spending time with or directly assisting the clients of hostels, hospitals, nursing homes etc.

· Directly assisting elderly, disabled clients during excursions or outings, e.g. shopping, social activities

· Directly assisting children in schools via remedial reading or some such program

· Directly assisting in community centers that provide a variety of social, craft or rehabilitation activities  Work directly with clients accessing support and services for the homeless.

· Work directly with the accessing support and services from various welfare groups and organisations operating in the local community.

How is BIPX202 Professional Experience A organised?

Students are required to do a total of 40 hours of Community Engagement in BIPX202.

Students are responsible to seek and arrange a suitable placement. They are given information about placement seeking process and techniques, and have access to a database of non-profit community service organisations that welcome volunteers. They are encouraged to find one with organisations that reflect their own interests and concerns.

The process involves:

· Each student and the host organisation complete a Placement Agreement Form that clarifies the role to be performed by the student, the attendance pattern of the student, and the expectations of both parties.

· This form must be submitted for approval to the Professional Experience Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the student commencing service with the host organisation and before the Placement Agreement due date.

· The Placement Provider is requested to designate a person to act as the Placement Supervisor, who will also be the Contact Person, for the student.

· The Placement Provider is also requested to provide the student with suitable activities, facilities, and trainings that are necessary for the student to complete their Community Engagement placement.

· The service may be completed in a full-time or part-time capacity depending upon the needs of the Placement Provider(s) and the student’s availability. However all placement activities must be completed one week before the Unit Completion date.

· Each Placement Provider is invited to keep an attendance record of the student and complete a brief Student Performance Evaluation Form). This form, filled in by the Placement Supervisor, is used to assess the student’s performance at the placement. It will be sent directly by the Professional Experience Coordinator to the Placement Supervisor.

· One week after the completion of the placement, students must submit their Final Written Assessment, which includes the Student Performance Evaluation Form. The Placement Supervisor is therefore kindly requested to fill out this Form ready for the student to pick up on the last day of the placement.

· Students are also required to fulfil the assessment requirements by keeping a daily journal and completing a report on their experience(s).

· There is to be no payment to the student for the service performed.

· If work is undertaken in more than one organisation, the student must complete a separate Placement Agreement Form, and obtain a separate Student Performance Evaluation Form for each placement.

· Students have been advised that some Placement Providers may require students to undergo a background check because of the high ’duty of care’ or legal requirement that those organisations have in relation to their clients.

· Should a student or Placement Provider experience any issues, such as a change of placement dates or illness, they are advised to immediately contact the Professional Experience Coordinator.

· After completion of a Community Engagement, a student may wish to retain her or his involvement with that organisation, but this is entirely a matter between the student and the participating organisation.

Students are aware and constantly reminded of the need to maintain strict confidentiality of all information pertaining to the organisation and its clients.

Insurance Cover

ACU’s Insurance Program with Catholic Church Insurances Limited provides cover for personal accident and public liability for students undertaking approved work placements.

The University has arranged the following insurance covers:

· Personal Accident Insurance (worldwide).

· Public Liability Insurance (worldwide except US and Canada).

· Professional Indemnity Insurance (Australia and New Zealand).

A Placement Confirmation Letter confirming the student's insurance cover and placement period will be mailed out to the organisation once the placement is approved. This insurance cover is valid only for the period for which the placement has been approved and for unpaid work.

Students undertaking Community Engagement overseas are required by the University to provide accident and medical coverage themselves before their Community Engagement will be endorsed by the University.

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