The development of national occupational standards for intercultural working in the UK

Abstract

From 2007 to 2008, CILT (Centre for Information for Language Teachers) developed a set of National Occupational Standards for Intercultural Working in the UK. This paper reports on three questions arising from the development project: how these standards are distinctive from others, how they realise intercultural competence and how they meet workplace expectations. Drawing on the directly relevant published evidence‐base, the paper argues that these standards are distinctive in their relationship with other suites, the range of their application, and the ways in which personal attributes are exemplified and embedded within performance outcomes. The standards also reflect a multi‐dimensional approach to competencies which include personal qualities such as reflection, self‐development, critical thinking and ethics; and the standards are described in a way which is credible and achievable in the workplace. For example, one pivotal unit of the standards focuses on self‐exploration and performance improvement around the areas of inclusive working practices, effective communication and challenging stereotypes.

Keywords:

• CILT
• occupational standards
• national vocational qualifications (NVQ)
• competence
• intercultural working
• intercultural competence
• Intercultural Competence Assessment framework (INCA)

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Anne Davidson Lund and Cherry Sewell of CILT for their contribution to this paper.

Notes

1. ICOPROMO – Intercultural Competence for Professional Mobility; LOLIPOP – Language On‐Line Portfolio Project. These two later projects were directly influenced by the INCA framework and had a great deal of theoretical as well as developmental crossover with it, particularly through their shared backgrounds in the Common European Framework (CEFR) and the European Languages Portfolio (ELP) of the Council of Europe.