The economic strategy for Europe calls for world-class business skills in engineering, life sciences, digital technology, green technology, as well as language skills to drive exports, logistics skills to create more effective working and innovators to develop new products. Europe also needs more people in care roles as well as entrepreneurs who build their own businesses. Many of our adults – especially in deprived areas aspire to local, low-paid jobs – and have not been encouraged to think more broadly, nationally, internationally or interculturally. The European Commission has adopted the proposal for a new Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong learning in 2018. According to the report, competence requirements have changed with more businesses being subject to automation, technologies playing a more significant role in all areas of work and life, and entrepreneurial activities. Personal, social and civic competences are becoming more relevant in order to ensure resilience and the ability to adapt to change. Europe needs to develop adults’ individual ‘soft skills’ and collective intercultural competences. Recognizing that each individual is unique – with strengths and abilities that should shape their aspirations and build their confidence. Good self-awareness is the beginning of emotional intelligence – the ability to understand what drives (and frustrates) us and how we differ from others. The Interculturality – Intercultural competence for international business development project, therefore, focused on the Key competences of: • Entrepreneurship • Civic skills • Personal, Social and Learning • Cultural awareness and expression The Interculturality project addressed the issues of cultural diversity in the business environment using a pedagogical approach designed to maximize impact through the production and sharing of OERs based on practical classroom and work-based training activities to assess and develop personal intercultural competences of adults who are interested in improving their chances of securing employment, starting their own businesses or developing their skills. The "Interculturality" project built upon the experience of partners from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Poland and aimed at: enabling adult educators through a CPD course; developing intercultural competences with adult learners; providing a methodological framework to boost the key competences and their intercultural skills; minimizing cultural disconnections which impact performance by helping target groups and beneficiaries in an international business environment; fostering target groups and beneficiaries for continuous intercultural development; developing a multilingual learning platform providing open and instant access to the project output. The Interculturality project has targeted the adult educators and trainers who are not only the key actors to be engaged in the main activities of the project but also being upskilled and empowered as facilitators, through a Continuous Professional Development course (CPD) to improve skills and understanding of the importance of intercultural skills in adult learners. Since CPD is a holistic commitment of professionals towards theInterculturality project embarks on the CDP approach for the target groups and beneficiaries of the project. The following results were produced: 1. A methodological framework in the form of a manual aimed at enhancing adults' key competencies and intercultural skills, including good practice analysis and return on investment for enterprises. 2. Interculturality Toolbox - Training tools for adults who want to improve their intercultural competencies and succeed and develop within a complex multicultural business environment. 3. The entire content was uploaded onto moodle, a platform developed in open software with its own APP to support adults in developing their intercultural competencies and their assessment. The continuous development of the platform by the open-source community guarantees the permanence of the materials over time. 4. Interculturality for Adult Educators - a continuing professional development (CPD) course for adult educators aims to support teachers, mentors, trainers, decision-makers and stakeholders in implementing the material they are creating in the target group.
Through the implementation of the project, the partners intended to develop the tools necessary for the development of stakeholders' competences in the field of intercultural management, focusing on key competences of Entrepreneurship; Civic, Personal, Social and Learning skills and Cultural Awareness and Expression. The aim of the project was: to enable adult educators through a CPD course; to develop intercultural competences with adult learners; to provide a methodological framework to boost the key competences and their intercultural skills; to minimize cultural disconnections which impact performance by helping target groups and beneficiaries in an international business environment; to foster target groups and beneficiaries for continuous intercultural development; to develop a multilingual learning platform providing open and instant access to the project output. The project used the ICT to facilitate the acquisition, assessment and accreditation of intercultural competence-related knowledge and skills within a CPD programme. To ensure success, it was important to determine the fundamental knowledge and skills making up intercultural competence and devise a pedagogical setting appropriate for the targeted beneficiaries.
The consortium applied for this project in order to develop not only the soft skills and intercultural competence of business; but also adults’ individual ‘soft skills’ and collective intercultural competences such as entrepreneurship, civic skills, personal, social and learning cultural awareness and expression. Thus, Interculturality aims to meet the Europe 2020 targets which state that high quality education and training are needed to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth including key competences of adults. Culturally diverse teams present a number of benefits for teams such as increased innovation, creativity and problem solving capabilities, but also provide an opportunity for greater miscommunication and misunderstanding which can impact the social and task-related functions of the team, resulting in process losses.The Interculturality project addressed the issues of cultural diversity in business environment using a pedagogical approach designed to maximize impact through the production and sharing of OERs based on practical classroom and work-based training activities to assess and develop personal intercultural competences of adults who are interested in improving their chances of securing employment, starting their own businesses or developing their skills. Also, the Interculturality project has targeted the adult educators and trainers who are not only the key actors to be engaged in the main activities of the project but also being upskilled and empowered as facilitators, through a Continuous Professional Development course (CPD), to improve skills and understanding of the importance of intercultural skills in adult learners. Since CPD is a holistic commitment of professionals towards the enhancement of personal skills and proficiency throughout their careers, The Interculturality project embarks on the CDP approach for the target groups and beneficiaries of the project.