Intercultural Certificate

Intercultural competence is not innate. It can, however, be developed. The developed competences depend upon the geographical origin, the age and the individual situation.

By developing intercultural competences, the individuals choose to reflect on their own cultural and moral concepts in direct comparison with different cultures. Participants increase their awareness and are thus better able to understand the intention of actions and words and can avoid misunderstandings in day-to-day interactions.

To strengthen these skills and their practical application, the International Office (HSIN) in cooperation with the Campus for Language Proficiency offers the Intercultural Certificate.

Benefits

The practice-oriented modules of the Intercultural Certificate prepare THWS-employees for potential situations in the international context, giving them confidence in tackling challenges in their working environment.

The course offers of the Intercultural Certificate are dynamic and follow the needs of THWS-employees. By continuous development of the modules the participants are able to individually and flexibly influence the contents of their Intercultural Certificate.

As of the summer semester of 2021, participants can now take intensified regions seminars as an alternative to physical international mobility. In these seminars, experienced colleagues of selected THWS partner universities and international lecturers offer valuable insights into their cultures. So, the world is coming to THWS! This means that even employees unable to participate in physical mobility due to various reasons, can now complete the Intercultural Certificate+.

The relevance of such continuing education offers is shown in the latest manual of the project “HRK-EXPERTISE Internationalisierung”: There, the Intercultural Certificate is presented as a positive example for successful internationalisation in administration:

Project manual (German only) Personalentwicklung zur Internationalisierung der Verwaltung

Two certificates: Basic Intercultural Certificate and Intercultural Certificate+

The Certificate Basic Intercultural Certificate consists of the two modules Language proficiency and Intercultural Competence. To complete the certificate, you require:

• Module 1: 1 x Language Proficiency
• Module 02: 1 x Intercultural Competence: Introductory seminar
• Module 02: 2 x Intercultural Competence: Regional training

The Certificate Intercultural Certificate+ consists of three modules: Language proficiency, Intercultural Competence and International Experience/the Advanced Regional Trainings. To complete the certificate, you require:

• Module 1: 1 x Language Proficiency
• Module 02: 1 x Intercultural Competence: Introductory seminar
• Module 02: 2 x Intercultural Competence: Regional training
• Module 03: 1 x International Experience OR
• Module 03: 3 x Intercultural Competence: Advanced regional training (in English)

Ways abroad

Thanks to over 70 international partner universities, we offer you the possibility to organize individual stays and to participate in various advanced training programmes. An overview of relevant universities can be found via the MoveOn-Publisher (+link) under the field “Continuing education EU” or “Continuing education Non-EU”. Physical mobility for continuing education is generally suitable for all THWS-employees. Together with your supervisor, you can determine relevant continuing education aspects and the best-suited stay abroad (target country, contact person).

For further information on staff mobility, please contact Elisabeth Ebner (elisabeth.ebner@thws.de).

Additional Qualifications

In addition to the both certificates, HSIN offers the chances to apply the developed competences within the University:

• Regularly offered cultural activities where THWS-members are always most welcome.
• Individual presentations or lectures in the context of international events to promote knowledge transfer and to actively support THWS.
• THWS-events like i-Campus Day, Staff Training Week or International Evening offer various opportunities to get in contact with international students and lecturers and demonstrate your own abilities.

To be awarded the Basic Intercultural Certificate or Intercultural Certificate+ all you have to do is to complete the corresponding module. The additional qualifications are optional!