Report:Recommended Strategy

Executive Summary
Recommended Strategy
UTS as university which working on improve its social impact, it is important for the UTS to increase its presence in society and helps the local communities for their facing problems. Students and staffs in the UTS need to uphold the society both in their current work and in the future, and that makes volunteer works become more important for those groups of people.
In this report, it recommends the strategy which related to the domain two and three: Students have the agency to enact personal and social responsibility, and staffs are supported to maximise their social impact. Through the increase of participate in volunteering work, it can increase the positive social impact of students and staffs in the UTS. Not only that, enhancing the participation of students and staffss will also helps the UTS improve its social impact. Now the UTS has some relevant volunteering programs to encourage students’ participation, like ShopFront, Leadership Program, and so on. Those programs build up relationship with the social communities and get some remarkable results. However, there are not enough students and staffs participate in volunteering work currently, so the proposed strategy will focus on provide incentives to encourage those people increase their participation in short-term. In the long-term, volunteering program will be added to part of the university’s compulsory courses for students, that makes every student has volunteering experiences before they graduate from the university. For the staffs in long-term, the UTS will provide them special incentive plan as encouragement, and plan to hire the staffs who interested in volunteering work in the future.
 
Reasons for Recommending this Strategy
Increasing of social impact cannot be completed in short-term, so it need to involve a long-term program which can be maintain in the future, and provided to both students and staffs. Volunteering program is a easy way for both students and staffs to take part in communities’ work, and develop their social responsibility. Moreover, it will also help the UTS to establish closer relationship with communities. On the other hand, students will have opportunity to practice their learning knowledge from the courses, and getting feedback after their social work to improve their self-abilities.
 
Expected Positive Social Impact Outcome from Implementing the Strategy
When the UTS put volunteer programs into effect, it will be an increased awareness for students and staffs on social responsibility, and makes more social impact through their volunteering work. Students will get more relevant experiences which can be used for their future jobs, and get opportunities on personal development through volunteering work. Staffs can get special incentive from the university, like more paid vacation. For the whole society, the UTS people will maximise their contribution for communities, and when communities establish relationship with the universities, it can benefit for both sides.
 
Any significant risks need to be identified
When operating volunteer programs, its risks can be the cost of time and financial, efficiency of incentive plan, and risk of working with community. When students and staffs participate in volunteer program, their attendance and working performance need to be monitored, and communities also should give their feedbacks. Since students and staffs will working for different areas, so it will take time to find the suitable workplace and negotiate with communities. Volunteer program as a new strategy, when it will be provided to the UTS people, it need to have some background survey to see if people can really benefit from this strategy, and welling to work for the society. When people do not have enough awareness on social work, the UTS need to provide relevant courses and introduce to them.