UTS Shopfront recently hosted six not-for-profit organisations, 28 post graduate Management Consulting students and top industry management consultants in a day of energetic and insightful presentations. The day was the culmination of a whole semester’s work that teamed up student groups with community clients with the purpose of solving specific organisational challenges.
From the development of strategic plans and corporate governance models, to undertaking in-depth needs and stakeholder analyses to sustainability and business planning, students presented their community clients with a raft of high-level recommendations and measures to guide them in their future endeavours.
The organisations were a diverse representation of the small to medium not-for-profit sector and ranged from the well-established Alfalfa House Cooperative based in Sydney’s inner west, to the recently founded Afghan Fajar Association, which serves the needs of Afghani communities who live in in greater south-west Sydney and in Afghanistan.
Student team at Alfalfa House. Photo courtesy of Dean Long
Each of the student groups was supported by industry coaches. The coaches are professionals in the field and include UTS Alumni, who offer their time and expertise to guide students through their projects while developing their own coaching skills and contributing to UTS and the community. This year we had coaches involved from Advisian, Ernst and Young and Stephenson Mansell.
Collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and expertise between students, community clients and industry coaches is the de rigour of Shopfront’s work with the UTS Business School and the presentations last Saturday were testament to the success of this award winning program that brings together teaching and learning with university-community engagement.
Congratulations to everyone involved.