Intercultural Skills Certificate Staff

Intercultural competence and intercultural knowledge are urgently needed in an increasingly international environment and support you in your work with diverse target groups. Intercultural competence means being able to move confidently in different environments, to think in an integrative way, and to feel confident even in the role of “being a stranger”. It also includes good foreign language skills, good observation skills, and open-mindedness towards people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

See the ISC4Staff as an offer to actively participate in the internationalization of your own university, to expand your foreign language and intercultural skills, to get fit for dealing with interculturally tricky situations and to bring variety into your everyday work at FH JOANNEUM.

Who can acquire the ISC4Staff?

The offer is aimed at colleagues at FH JOANNEUM who are not employed in teaching.

Competence modules at a glance

The Intercultural Skills Certificate comprises of the following modules:

1. Erasmus Staff Training (STT):
Participate in a Staff Training in an Erasmus programm or partner country.

2. Intercultural Workshop:
This workshop is offered by the International Relations Office and can be taken during working hours.

3. Foreign language skills:
Two consecutive foreign language courses at CAMPUS LinguaNEUM, each of 30 teaching units, must be completed.

4. Tandem:
At least 8 meetings with an international colleague provide space for cultural, experiential and/or language exchange.

The following two variants of ISC4Staff are offered:

“ISC for Staff”: This is the standard variant to aim for, in which all 4 competence modules are to be successfully completed.

“ISC for Staff light”: Here, modules 2-4 have to be completed. Thus, colleagues can acquire the ISC4Staff, for whom an Erasmus staff mobility (Module 1) is not possible at the present time due to family, health or other serious reasons.

Competence Module 1: Erasmus Staff Training

An Erasmus Staff Training at a partner university of FH JOANNEUM or a university or company in an Erasmus country offers you excellent opportunities to deepen your professional knowledge as well as your intercultural and foreign language skills.
In order to share the knowledge you have gained with those around you, you will be invited to give a lecture in your department/work unit or across departments or work units after your return.
Required proof:
Notification of when the presentation took place and which target group was present, as well as submission of a written summary of your experience gained in the Erasmus Staff Training.
For more information on how you can participate in an Erasmus Staff Training, please click here.
Erasmus Staff Trainings which habe been completed within the last three years will also be credited for ISC4Staff.

Competence Module 2: Intercultural Workshop

For the crediting of this module the participation in an Intercultural Workshop of the International Relations Office in the extent of at least 12 teaching units is necessary (e.g. three half days with 4 teaching units each – either online or in presence). Participation of the workshop is counted as working hours.

The workshop includes topics such as intercultural awareness, learning strategies to deal with critical interaction situations with people from other cultural backgrounds, change of perspective, cultural dimensions, stereotypes and prejudices….

As proven by studies, intercultural workshops significantly support the intercultural added value of an international mobility and thus have a preparatory character for Erasmus staff mobilities.

Competence Module 3: Foreign Language Competences

At a university with a growing proportion of international students and staff, foreign language skills are an indispensable additional qualification.
In order to be able to apply for the ISC4Staff, it is necessary to complete two consecutive foreign language courses at CAMPUS LinguaNEUM, each comprising 30 teaching units (2SWS).
The costs for the language courses are met by the organisational unit.
More information about the courses and the course registration can be found here.
Foreign language workshops organized by CAMPUS LinguaNEUM for individual professional groups (e.g. English for study program secretaries) also count towards the ISC4Staff.

Required proof:
* Certificates of the language courses

Competence Module 4: Tandem for Staff

“Tandem learning is a partnership-based, intercultural learning in which both partners benefit from the meetings to the same extent”.

Analogous to the Tandem program for students, the Tandem4Staff is also intended to promote cultural, experience and language exchange among our employees. To this end, employees with an Austrian cultural background meet with colleagues of international origin.
The language of communication for the tandem meetings is determined by the tandem partners themselves and can be German or any other language.

There are several options for you to choose from:

a. FH JOANNEUM Tandem
Both tandem partners are employees of FH JOANNEUM and have an Austrian or international cultural background.

b. Tandem with expatriates from external partner associations
Members of external partner associations, consisting mainly of expatriates from various countries around the world, form tandem pairs with FH JOANNEUM colleagues in order to practice foreign languages or German and exchange views on cultural topics.

c. Tandem with people with a refugee background
At FH JOANNEUM, refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries attend language courses, work or are integrated into various projects. The tandem gives the opportunity to talk to a person with a refugee background at eye level and break down barriers.

The tandem partners have to meet at least eight times. They can also attend intercultural events of the “Cultural Diversity at FH JOANNEUM” program (e.g. Diversophy, Cultural Evenings, Pub Quiz…).
At the end of each meeting, a short reflection sheet or the “Intercultural Learning Log” must be completed.

More information on the Tandem4Staff program can also be found in our “Tandem for Staff” fact sheet below.

In order to get the ISC4Staff all competence modules have to be finished within 3 years.
Participation in the ISC4Staff has to be clarified with the superior in advance.

If you are interested in the ISC4Staff, please contact the International Relations Office at international@fh-joanneum.at.