Helping change Australian workplaces one conversation at a time

With over 100 languages spoken and staff from over 75 countries, SSI has grown and changed Australia’s communities through the strength of diversity.

By offering diversity training, SSI shares its knowledge with other organisations to together strive towards a more inclusive Australia – one conversation at a time.

The ANMM took part in a workshop that allowed their team to share experiences, reflect, ask questions and connect with each other. Watch the video to see the training in action and hear the ideas it sparked in participants.

After the training, Ms Habib, Chief People Officer at Australian National Maritime Museum, said it was important for the museum to partner with an organisation like SSI that had similar values, as well as lived experience with diversity and inclusion.

“In social settings, people may not be courageous enough to have these conversations. Training delivered like this has created a safe space to discuss thoughts, challenges or a lack of knowledge,” Ms Habib said.

“It’s about our employees being taken out of their everyday work environment to focus on why it matters, and what they could do differently with regards to diversity and inclusion.”

Janet Irvine, who manages SSI’s diversity training, said that SSI offers training to help build a world where everyone is seen and valued for who they are.

“We believe that through providing training, we can create that change one conversation at a time,” she said.

“There’s a lot of evidence that where there is diversity, and people feel included, they work harder and feel more satisfied in their roles, and that has good outcomes for a company or organisation.”
Ms Irvine said diversity means recognising that everyone has a different perspective to offer.

“If we approach people with that open curiosity, there’s so much for all of us to gain,” she said.
SSI training consultant Lilyana Theodossiou said it’s important for diversity and inclusion to be an ongoing organisational conversation instead of a one-off box-ticking exercise.

“Our census data keeps showing us that we are ever changing in our diversity, so it’s about constant evolution for any organisation.”

Train with SSI

Grounded in 20-plus years’ experience as a leading provider of services to multicultural communities, SSI supports non-government, government and corporate sector employers to drive their diversity and inclusion goals forward.

In the last financial year, SSI’s facilitators led over 170 workshops and engaged over 3,000 participants across organisations in Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific.

SSI provides learning experiences that transform how people respond to diversity in ways that are thought-provoking, inspire curiosity, and build confidence to engage more authentically with cultural diversity.

Explore training options and learn more on SSI’s Diversity Training webpage.