In the global economy, all sectors of UK economy operate in multicultural and international environments. 'Intercultural skills' are those skills needed to work effectively with people from different countries and diverse cultures.

CILT led the UKCES-funded project to develop the innovative National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Intercultural Working: Standards for working with people from different countries or diverse cultures. The Standards were approved by UKCES in September 2008 and are available free to download here in both English (pdf, 475KB) and Welsh (pdf, 579KB).

The Standards can be used to:

• describe good practice in particular areas of professional activity
• inform job descriptions and person specifications
• design training courses and continuous professional development
• assess the skills of those training for a particular area of work
• assess or review the skills of those who are qualified, e.g. for recruitment or appraisal purposes
• support quality assurance procedures.

CILT is also working with awarding organisations and bodies to develop a range of units and qualifications based on these Standards, for those wishing to accredit their intercultural working skills

If you would like further information on training and qualifications in intercultural working, or wish to explore how the standards could be applied to your sector or organisation, contact Anne Marie Graham.

Background
This project builds on previous work led by CILT. In 2006 a research project was completed into the feasibility of developing National Occupational Standards in intercultural skills.
A summary of the key findings of the 2006 research project can be downloaded here (Word, 162KB).
This work built on the work of the earlier EU-funded INCA (Intercultural Competence Assessment) project.

An Introduction to the standards