Online scheduled courses 2020
Our scheduled education courses are delivered live and online, and offer individuals or small teams an opportunity to deepen their understanding of human rights and equal opportunity issues. Participants will develop knowledge and skills to take back to the workplace. We challenge participants using realistic scenarios, current cases and best practice examples. Our courses are a valuable opportunity to not only learn from content experts but also work with other organisations, share practices and develop useful networks.
Due to the COVID-19 emergency, the Commission is now delivering our scheduled education courses remotely through live online sessions.
Course descriptions and dates
All of our courses can be customised and delivered at workplaces. Contact the Education team for more information.
Please note: Courses with fewer than five participants may be rescheduled or cancelled with at least one week’s notice.
Work can be fundamental to a sense of independence, financial security and participation in public life. It is vital that our workplaces foster a culture where everyone is safe, included and respected. This course addresses the rights of staff and obligations of the workplace to prevent and respond to discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation. It helps establish a strong platform on which to build a healthy and inclusive workplace culture.
Participants will learn how to:
- acknowledge the importance of creating a positive and healthy workplace culture
- build confidence in identifying unlawful behaviour in the workplace under the Equal Opportunity Act
- explore the boundaries of what is considered a workplace
- pinpoint responsibility for unlawful conduct
- navigate options for resolving workplace issues and complaints
- consider actions that a bystander can take to foster a healthy workplace culture.
This program is ideally suited to all employers and employees.
Dates:
- Tuesday 6 October
Cost: $396 (inc. GST)
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm (3 hours)
Sexual harassment causes harm and it’s against the law. In order to eliminate sexual harassment from our workplace, everyone needs to understand where the law draws a line at unlawful conduct. This program breaks down what conduct amounts to sexual harassment in the workplace under the Equal Opportunity Act. It considers action that can be taken prevent and respond to sexual harassment to build respectful workplaces where all staff are safe.
This program is ideally suited to all employers and employees.
Participants will learn how to:
- understand what conduct amounts to sexual harassment under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 and practise recognising sexual harassment
- explore the boundaries of what is considered a workplace
- pinpoint responsibility for sexual harassment
- explore options for resolving complaints of sexual harassment
- consider actions that a bystander can take to address sexual harassment in the workplace and how this influences workplace culture.
Dates:
- Thursday 10 September
Cost: $396 inc. GST
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm (3 hours)
This program equips participants with the fundamental knowledge and skills to be a contact officer – a vital and impartial first point of contact for someone, who thinks they may be experiencing or witnessing discrimination, sexual harassment, vilification or victimisation in their workplace. Contact officers provide reliable information, referral and support to people with these experiences.
By meeting with a contact officer, a person can confidentially and informally talk about their concerns, identify their issues, get informed and weigh up the best option for resolution. These options include internal organisational processes and practices, and external complaint handling mechanisms.
Consequently, contact officers are an important part of any organisation’s risk management and equal opportunity, compliance strategy.
This program is ideally suited to new Contact Officers. The program consists of two units:
In Contact Officer Essentials Unit 1 (knowledge – law and policies), participants will:
- consider standards of healthy and appropriate workplace behaviour according to their organisation’s policies and workplace laws
- explore the purpose of the Contact Officer role and what the role is and isn’t
- consider their organisation’s expectations of the role
- begin to develop the knowledge and skills required to be a contact officer.
In Contact Officer Essentials Unit 2* (skills – information and support), participants will:
- explore the options that exist to resolve complaints and how they can support others to understand and choose a suitable option
- practise the skills required to be an effective contact officer
- consider the challenges that a contact officers might face and how to manage these.
*Please note: Unit 1 must be taken before Unit 2. Both units need to be taken in order to complete the course.
Unit 1 (3 hours):
- Wednesday 10am – 1pm 19 August 2020
- Tuesday 10am – 1pm 6 October 2020
- Thursday 10am – 1pm 26 November 2020
Unit 2 (3 hours):
- Thursday 10am – 1pm 20 August 2020
- Wednesday 10am – 1pm 7 October 2020
- Friday 10am – 1pm 27 November 2020
Cost and registration:
Cost: $792 inc. GST for the course ($396 per unit).
The link to the session will be emailed to participants in advance of the session.
Accessibility and more information:
If you have any accessibility needs please let us know at the time of registration.
For more information about the course, please contact the Education team.
Contact officers are the first point of contact in the workplace to provide confidential and impartial information about options to resolve complaints discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation. This program is designed to ensure that contact officers keep up to date and deepen their practice. This course discusses developments in equal opportunity law, common problems and techniques to improve practice. It allows contact officers to debrief and learn from peers.
This program is ideally suited to Contact Officers who have previously completed a contact office course.
Contact officers are recommended to take this course every two years.
Participants will learn how to:
- explore key updates to equal opportunity law and practice, and the application to their policies and procedures
- increase confidence in performing the role
- identify challenges officers have encountered and identify solutions
- revise and enhance interview skills.
Dates:
- Thursday 15 October
Cost: $396 inc. GST
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm (three hours)
Learn about discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation, and how the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 helps build workplace equality. This full-day workshop will provide union delegates and industrial staff with greater confidence to identify unlawful behaviours and take action to address them, through the Commission’s dispute resolution service and other functions.
Participants will learn how to:
- identify unlawful conduct: discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation, and the requirement to take reasonable precautions to prevent this conduct under the Equal Opportunity Act
- understand how Victorian equal opportunity law interacts with other key laws and legal processes that address workplace equality issues.
- take effective action to prevent and respond to unlawful behaviours in the workplace
- use external complaint making options and the Commission’s dispute resolution service
- identify a range of remedies and outcomes available under the law, and other key Commission functions.
This program is specifically designed for industrial advocates, organisers and union delegates/ representatives
Dates:
- Thursday 27 August 2020
Cost: Free
Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm (five hours with one-hour break)
Everyone has the right to participate equally at work. For some people, this requires adjustments to perform the requirements of their role. This session explores what the law says about reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities in the workplace, what should employers provide, and what is reasonable in the circumstances. The session considers preventative measures as well as responses to request for adjustments.
This session will be delivered as a webinar. It will be an interactive session that will include a presentation followed by Q and A.
Session objectives:
To help clarify workplace rights & duties under the Equal Opportunity Act (2010) Vic in relation to reasonable adjustments for people disabilities, including chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities
consider best practice approaches to making and granting, where possible, requests for reasonable adjustments.
The session is designed for employees as rights holders, as well as managers and employers to better understand their duties.
Date: Tuesday 20 October 2020
Cost: This course is free to attend however registration is required.
Time: 10.30am – 12pm (1.5 hours)
The link to the webinar will be provided via email in advance of the session.
Accessibility and more information:
Live captioning will be provided.
If you have any accessibility needs please let us know at the time of registration by emailing the Education team.
Sporting clubs and organisations must be inclusive towards trans and gender diverse people and know what they need to do to protect and respect all people. This workshop promotes respectful interaction between athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators when engaging with trans and gender diverse people. It is delivered in partnership with Proud2Play. It explains the Commission’s Equal Opportunity Practice Guideline, Trans and gender diverse inclusion in sport, and sets out what it means for sports club and organisations.
Participants will:
- recognise the need for trans and gender diverse inclusion in sport
- gain practical and theoretical insights into gender diversity
- be better prepared to promote and enable trans and gender diverse inclusion
- be more confident in understanding and complying with Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Act.
This program is ideally suited for members of sporting organisations and clubs, and those working in the diversity and inclusion field.
Date: TBC
Cost: $440 inc. GST (20 per cent discount for not-for-profit organisations). FREE to representatives of non-professional sporting clubs.
Time: 9.30am – 2.00pm (four hours with 30-minute break)
This course builds the skills of disability advocates in using human rights and equal opportunity laws to effect meaningful change. It develops understanding of rights, and confidence in using and applying the law to uphold these rights.
The course is delivered in 3 parts over 3 weeks and is limited to 15 people maximum. Applicants must participate in all 3 sessions to receive a certificate of completion.
By the end of the course participants will:
- understand the human rights principles that underlie the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- know how the Charter of Human Rights & Responsibilities Act (2006) works to protect the rights of people with disabilities in dealing with Victorian public authorities
- identify the key protections provided by the Equal Opportunity Act (2010) in Victoria, particularly in service provision
- apply their knowledge of the law as it relates to the 6 types of disability advocacy in employment and service provision
- practice identifying appropriate mechanism to address and resolve human rights issues.
This course is suitable for disability advocates and people with lived experiences of disability discrimination who seek to develop advocacy skills to bring about individual and social change.
Dates and times:
Session 1: Tuesday 3rd November 2020, 10am-12pm
Session 2: Tuesday 10th November 2020, 10am-12pm
Session 3: Tuesday 17th November 2020, 10am-12pm
Cost:
Free for disability advocates and people with lived experiences of disability.
Platform:
These courses will be facilitated remotely over Zoom and utilise a range of interactive online material.
Accessibility:
We will be providing live captioning. If you require further adjustments, please advise us of your specific needs two weeks ahead of the session times.
Application:
If you are interested in undertaking this course, you will need to submit an application by answering the following questions:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Affiliations- what organisations are you associated with, what kind of advocacy work you are involved in
- Why you are interested in attending this course
- How you could use the knowledge, skills and experience gained in the course to contribute to making change in Victoria.
Please email your answers to the Education team.
Priority access to this course will be given to people with disabilities engaged in advocacy work.