ANU+
What is ANU+?
ANU+ is a structured non-academic program that encourages students’ learning through reflection on their volunteering experiences and formally recognises students’ personal development and contribution achieved through volunteering.
Volunteering as defined by Volunteering Australia as ‘Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.’
ANU+ is open to enrolled undergraduate and postgraduate students at ANU. It is recommended students begin their ANU+ journey with at least one year of study remaining before their expected graduation.
Changes to ANU+
In 2025, the ANU+ workflow will be hosted through Career Central, student have access and can search for their respective ANU+ pathway for example, there will be a pathway for Undergraduate students' and another pathway for Postgraduate students'.
Current Students:
Your progress through the ANU+ workflow has been transferred to Career Central by the ANU+ team. All student can sign in to Career Central using their university identification number. Students will be prompted to enter some of their professional goals and interests when they first log in.
There have been some minor changes to the ANU+ timesheet in 2025, instead of submitting 20 hours on one timesheet students must two, 10 hour timesheets. *A link to the new ANU+ timesheet can be found on the right.
Please Note: Hours volunteered with host organisations can be spread across two, 10 hour timesheets and there is no limit on the number of organisations that can be included in each timesheet.
Once students have completed two, 10 hour timesheets they must upload them into Career Central and our team will check them and then the student will gain access to complete their reflection.
From 3 March 2025, current students will be able to see their ANU+ pathway and can go through the newly created e-learning module which will cover the new workflow changes. Additionally, the ANU+ team will be hosting a number of online information sessions from Wednesday, 5 March 2025 for current students to learn how to navigate through Career Central. Please register through Career Central.
How can I join ANU+?
The first step is to log in to Career Central and update your student profile. To join the ANU+ program we have introduced an e-learning module on Career Central which covers all you need to know to get started.
There are two ANU+ pathways, one for undergraduates and one for postgraduates.
To find the appropriate ANU+ pathway for you:
- Log in to Career Central
- Select e-learning pathway
- On the pathways page, select either the ANU+ Award Undergraduate or ANU+ Award Postgraduate.
Students’ interested in joining the ANU+ program must complete the e-learning module and get a 100% pass rate to gain access to register for an ANU+ intake workshop. The ANU+ intake workshops for future students will resume in April, 2025.
Once students have attended the in-person, ANU+ intake workshop, they will then need to sign the code of conduct and the volunteering acknowledgement prior to commencing volunteer work.
ANU+ Workflow
Complete the e-learning and short quiz, after successfully completing the e-learning and the quiz, students' will be able to register for an in-person ANU+ Intake Workshop.
- Register and attend an ANU+ Intake Workshop. Students must register for these workshops on Career Central. These workshops are designed for students to meet other ANU+ students, reflect on where you would like to volunteer, and be an opportunity to ask our ANU+ team questions about the program. *Workshops will be scheduled in mid-March and commence in April, 2025.
- After completion of the workshop, students will officially be an ANU+ participant and to proceed in the workflow must read and sign the code of conduct and the volunteer acknowledgement.
- Find an organisation to volunteer with, we recommend you research the right volunteering opportunity for you. For additional guidance please go to the nest section.
- Record your volunteer hours on the ANU+ timesheet - volunteer for 10 hours two times andhave your timesheet signed off by your volunteer supervisor and upload to Career Central.*Updated ANU+ Timehsheet will be available in March 2025.
- Reflect on your experience - once you have submitted two, 10 hour timesheets you will be able to submit your reflection. Prior to writing your reflection, we strongly recommend you refer to the reflection guide and ANU+ rubric on Career Central.
- Repeat step 5 and step 6, As an Undergraduate repeat these steps five times (100 volunteer hours in total) or three times if you are Postgraduate (60 volunteer hours in total).
- Final Submission – Can be in the form of a written reflection, video, presentation or an approved format of your choosing. The details of what to include in your final submission are outlined in Career Central.
- Receive the ANU+ award, which will be applied to your academic transcript and the end of each semester.
Find a volunteer role
- Internal volunteering: that is volunteering undertaken at ANU, usually with ANUSA Clubs & Societies, ANU services and teams. Before internal volunteering may be counted towards ANU+, the volunteering role must be registered and approved through the ANU+ team.
- External volunteering: volunteering is unpaid work usually undertaken with not-for-profit organisations and/or co-operatives that are external to ANU. This work benefits both the volunteer and the community and is based on roles that are not replacing paid workers. It is recommended that students ensure they are volunteering with reputable organisations which must provide insurance, training and supervision for their volunteers. Best practice for volunteering dictates that a volunteer role should not exceed 16 hours per week on a long-term basis.
Volunteering ACT is the peak body for volunteering in Canberra, and has a searchable database that includes online options.
Go Volunteer is an Australia-wide volunteering database – you can search for online or Canberra-based opportunities.
Do I have to do each 10 hours volunteering with one organisation?
No, students can volunteer with multiple organisations. Student must submit their volunteer hours in 10-hour blocks on one timesheet, more than one organisation can be included on a timesheet to make up 10 hours. Once a student had completed two 10 hour timesheets they must upload on Career Central to progress to the next stage of the workflow.
Can I do all volunteer work at one organisation?
You have to volunteer with at least two organisations, and with at least one external organisation, so you get a varied experience and can reflect on different development outcomes. You can volunteer with two or more external organisations, and do no internal volunteering. You can do the majority with one organisation, and then a short number of hours with another organisation, e.g. one day of tree planting.
Can I do all internal volunteer work?
No. ANU+ aims to encourage students to look outwards. You have to volunteer with at least one external organisation. If you are unsure if your volunteer work counts as internal or external, please email us.
Can I count past volunteer work?
You can count up to three months prior to attending the ANU+ workshop. You will have had to have been enrolled in at least one course at ANU during this time for it to count.
Can I include volunteer training in my hours?
No, volunteer training hours cannot be counted towards ANU+. Volunteer training is not counted in ANU+ as this process is considered onboarding and preparing you to undertake your volunteer role.
Can I count my paid, unpaid internship or volunteering for course credit towards ANU+?
No, unpaid and paid internships or volunteering for course credit cannot be counted towards ANU+. The reason for this is that these opportunities are directly related to future employment.
Can I count interstate and overseas volunteer work?
Yes – please follow the guidelines below for interstate and overseas volunteering:
Evidence, in addition to the ANU+ timesheet, will need to be submitted by you to provide assurance that the volunteer work was undertaken. Volunteering in Canberra is easier to assess by an ANU+ staff member as you will mostly be sourcing opportunities from known organisations or through official avenues such as Volunteering ACT. Additional evidence has to be one of the following:
-an email from the organisation that states the name of you and the dates and hours completed (email address must be the official organisation’s one and cannot be Gmail or similar)
-a letter from the organisation that states your name and the dates and hours completed (must be on the organisation’s letterhead).
- There is a cap of the number of hours that can be counted. Up to 40 hours (out of 100 hours) can be counted if you are an undergraduate, and up to 20 hours (out of 60 hours) if you are postgraduate.
How can I communicate with ANU+?
The ANU+ team is still here to help you if you have any questions about the program, contact us via email at student.life@anu.edu.au if you have any questions.
What do I receive if I complete ANU+ award?
You will receive the ANU+ award, and it will appear on your academic transcript. There is a cut-off date each semester, around late May in Semester 1 and late October in Semester 2. The exact date is listed under key dates(right hand side) on this page.
Still have questions?
If you have further questions please get in touch by emailing student.life@anu.edu.au.
Information for ANU staff
Are you a staff member within an ANU College, School or Division who currently offer volunteering opportunities to students? If so, you might be interested in having your volunteering opportunity recognised through the university’s volunteer co-curricular recognition program, the ANU+ award. The list of approved internal volunteering roles can be found here.
Below is a guide on how to register a volunteer role with ANU+ and how you can support your students’ personal and professional development alongside them being able to claim hours as part of their ANU+ award.
What is ANU+?
The ANU+ award is a program that formally recognises students’ experiences and contributions achieved through volunteering. It encourages students to:
- give back and connect to the ANU and local Canberra community,
- develop skills related to their future employability, and
- reflect on their co-curricular experiences to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Why register a volunteer role with ANU+?
The ANU+ award is the University’s way of acknowledging the impact and importance of students engaging in co-curricular activities alongside their program of study at ANU.
ANU+ provides opportunities for students to connect with the ANU and local Canberra community, enhance their employability skills and build on their self-awareness and capacity to build skills for the future outside the classroom.
By registering your volunteering role with the ANU+ program, you are agreeing to abide by best practice principles developed between the ANU+ team, the university, and Volunteering ACT. Once your role has been reviewed and approved by the team you will be supporting your volunteers to complete volunteering hours for the ANU+ program.
Who can register a volunteering role with ANU+?
Any staff member who supervises volunteers as part of an organised volunteering program in a College, School or Division at ANU is eligible to register the volunteering role/s for inclusion within the ANU+ Award Program.
How can I register a volunteering role?
There are two steps for ANU staff to register a volunteering role with ANU+ so that students can count hours towards their ANU+ timesheets:
- ANU staff (volunteer supervisors) email a position description for the volunteering role to the ANU+ team at student.life@anu.edu.au.
- ANU staff (volunteer supervisors) fill in this form, which includes information about the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, as well as information about the requirement for volunteers to fill in a volunteer declaration form for the ANU Insurance Office.
Once we have received the position description and form submission, the role will be reviewed against the eligibility criteria and the WHS requirements . Following review, confirmation will be provided via email regarding whether the role may be counted towards ANU+.
ANU+ criteria for volunteering roles
- Be part of a University-run volunteering community
- Have a volunteer position description which includes the following:
- A purpose statement
- A role statement
- What benefits the volunteer will gain in the role
- Time commitment
- Qualifications and experience needed (if any)
- Involve mandatory training to sufficiently prepare students to undertake the volunteering responsibilities
- Meet the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
- The student/s has/have no expectation of payment
- The student is under no obligation to attend the workplace or perform volunteer work
- You have considered if the student volunteer/s require a Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) card, based on the type(s) of activities that may occur.
Volunteer supervisor responsibilities
Volunteer supervisors are responsible for:
- Training and supervising student volunteers and verifying the volunteer hours completed by the student as part of their role
- Signing student ANU+ timesheets (training does not count towards ANU+ hours)
- Ensuring the student completes a volunteer declaration form and sends a copy to the ANU Insurance Office.
ANU+ Work Health and Safety requirements
- The supervisor of the student/s has completed WHS Risk Management Training, WHS Management System for Managers and Supervisors and Figtree Workplace Safety Incident & Hazard Reporting Tool on Pulse.
- The supervisor of the student will ensure the student/s has completed University Work Health and Safety (WHS) Induction on Pulse.
- The supervisor of the student will provide the student/s a Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 induction (appendix B and/or C, chapter 3.2 WHS Management System Handbook.)
- The supervisor has completed a risk assessment (appendix B, chapter 3.1 WHS Management System Handbook) and will provide any additional relevant training to the student/s based on the results.
- If the volunteering involves an event/function, the supervisor has referred to chapter 3.14 Event and Function Safety Management.
Learn more about the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)
Key Dates
[TENTATIVE] Deadline to submit your final reflection to finish ANU+ in Semester 1, 2024. All timesheets and short reflections must be approved by the time you submit or present your final reflection.
[TENTATIVE] Deadline to submit your final reflection to finish ANU+ in Semester 2, 2024. All timesheets and short reflections must be approved by the time you submit or present your final reflection.
Contact
- Student Life
- Send email
- Student Life