Universities are excellent at imparting technical and scientific knowledge to students; however, to what extent are universities good at passing on social competence, in particular intercultural competencies? (Pinto, 2018)
Social competence refers to several abilities that allow people to work effectively with other people: effective communication skills, leadership qualities or ability to work in a team.
In a world that is increasingly connected through the interdependence of world cultures, it is imperative to gain, develop and apply social competence. Providing students with intercultural interactions could create better starting conditions for graduates later in employment, where graduates are likely to be working with colleagues of different nationalities.
Intercultural competence refers to more than just possessing cognitive knowledge about the other individual’s culture. It deals with how to engage with conflicting beliefs and values, language, and cultural differences.
