Announcements - December 17, 2025
Cultural awareness program to boost workplace confidence and community connection
Pictured above: Mildura City Council mayor Ali Cupper (left) presents a community grant to Intereach SETS multicultural workers Nino Suppa and Alison Fraser (right) and English and Culture Learning Centre director Danielle Hren to deliver Australian Cultural Awareness Workshops for CALD Communities.
Intereach is empowering Mildura’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities with practical knowledge of the Australian culture and workplace.
Thanks to a $6000 grant from Mildura City Council, Intereach, in partnership with the English and Culture Learning Centre (ECLC), will next year deliver four free, interactive workshops for more than 40 humanitarian entrants, asylum seekers, and people on working holiday visas.
Led by Intereach’s Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) team, the cultural awareness workshops will support people to participate safely in workplaces and community settings, while fostering connection, belonging and reconciliation through cultural awareness.
“These workshops are designed to help people feel confident, informed and connected as they settle into life in Australia,” SETS multicultural worker Nino Suppa said.
By using plain-English delivery, interpreters and interactive learning, the workshops aim to reduce common barriers faced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community members, including limited access to culturally appropriate information and uncertainty about Australian workplace expectations.
“The workshops will help with common cultural misunderstandings in workplaces, helping to reduce conflict, job loss and community grievances that can arise when social norms aren’t fully understood,” Mr Suppa said.
“Many new arrivals feel excluded from work and community activities simply because they’re unsure of what’s expected.
“Mildura has a diverse and growing CALD community, so these sessions will address these issues by supporting their integration into community life and helping them to feel more confident participating in everyday Australian settings.”
Beyond social inclusion, the program is expected to deliver clear economic benefits for the region. By improving participant understanding of Australian workplace culture, rights and expectations, the workshops support workforce readiness, skills development and sustained employment outcomes.
Intereach’s SETS program provides free settlement support for newly arrived migrants and refugees so they can become independent and contribute to the Australian community.
To learn more about SETS, call 1300 488 226 or visit www.intereach.com.au/service/settlement-engagement-and-transition-support-sets/
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