Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the opportunity to meet the team at the Social Studio, an organisation that has been quietly transforming lives in Melbourne for 17 years. The Social Studio delivers award-winning training and creative projects across fashion, textiles and the arts. But, at its core, it is first and foremost an education provider. It creates a safe space of belonging for newly arrived migrants and refugees while offering paid work experience that is connected to real skills and real outcomes. Their flagstaff two-year Certificate III program, supported through partnerships with RMIT and beyond, is built around small class sizes, wraparound pathway support, skills-extension workshops and paid training opportunities for both students and alumni.

The results are powerful. The Social Studio has an 80 per cent completion rate, significantly higher than the national average for Certificate III qualifications. Under the Albanese Labor government, we are committed to strengthening skills, education and pathways to secure work, particularly for communities who have been too often locked out of the opportunity. The team behind the Social Studio are not just teaching technical skills; they are building confidence, dignity and futures and, in doing so, strengthening our entire community. I thank the team at the Social Studio for their leadership and the vital work they continue to do across Melbourne.