SBS has launched the SBS Inclusion Program, an online training program and resource designed to support organisations to better understand Australia’s diversity and to promote more inclusive workplaces.
It is an expansion of SBS’s existing Cultural Competence Program launched in 2016 and now licensed by more than 300 organisations nationally and assisting them in building capability around cultural diversity.
The new SBS Inclusion Program focuses on improving understanding of diversity including LGBTIQ+, gender, age, disability, cultural diversity and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, with the aim of creating more inclusive workplaces and work practices.
“We’ve never been more diverse as a nation, and it’s never been more important for organisations across all industries and sectors to better understand the diversity of their customers, employees and the communities they serve. It is only when we have inclusion that we are able to harness the benefits of our diversity," SBS director of media sales Adam Sadler says.
“There are significant benefits on offer from fostering more innovative and inclusive organisations, including more creative and productive workplaces alongside an increased understanding and connection to the customers you serve.
The SBS Inclusion Program was created in collaboration with leading social inclusion advocacy organisations including Male Champions of Change, Australian Network on Disability, ACON Pride in Diversity and Every Age Counts. SBS once against partnered with International Education Services (IES) to develop the online courses and tools available.
IES Managing Director, Chris Evason, said: “IES are excited to play our part in developing this important suite of programs, thereby helping to promote harmonious and inclusive workplace cultures across the country.
“The learning material is concise and clear, yet imaginative and engaging. These programs provide an excellent grounding in understanding the benefits of diversity and will be relevant to any workforce or workplace in Australia.”
The Inclusion program is made up of seven online courses, with each containing a number of animations, interviews, activities and further reading. The courses support both the development of core inclusion skills and knowledge, exploring topics like unconscious bias, assumptions, curiosity, intersectionality and flexibility, in addition to providing skills and knowledge around specific areas of diversity.
Like the Cultural Competence Program, the SBS Inclusion Program is available as training modules which can be accessed and completed online, or used within an organisation’s existing learning management system.
Both programs are part of SBS’s Cultural Connect offering, a suite of services provided by SBS Media to help businesses understand and connect with Australia’s increasingly diverse population.
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