Companies in the engineering industry identified a need for 'cultural awareness' training for trainees and employees. SEMTA members have called for the inclusion of a European dimension in the curriculum for all young people.

In the present climate of increasing globalisation, operations may often be carried out in an international environment, with staff from one country and social/work culture working with staff from another country and culture.

A mismatch between expectations, a lack of appreciation of and tolerance for difference can lead to less effective and efficient working practices. They can also exacerbate xenophobia and racism. Some employers have realised the need for training to raise awareness of cultural differences among the workforce, in order to improve staff management, teamworking and customer service.

An urgent need was identified for a framework to underpin training and assessment in this field. There is also a need for an effective and efficient diagnostic tool to support assessment, benchmarking, recruitment and employee development.

The theory (pdf, 82kb) underpinning the development of the INCA products was formulated from the theoretical work of the following INCA partners:
- Mike Byram (Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education by Michael Byram (Editor), Adam Nichols (Editor), David Stevens (Editor) Multilingual Matters (August 2001)
- Torsten Kühlmann (Kühlmann, T.M. & Stahl, G.K. (1998): Anforderungen an Mitarbeiter in internationalen Tätigkeitsfeldern. Zeitschrift Personalführung 1998, 11, S. 44-55)
- Bernd Müller-Jacquier (Müller-Jacquier, Bernd (2000). Linguistic Awareness of Cultures. Grundlagen eines Trainingsmoduls. In: Bolten, Jürgen (ed.). Studien zur internationalen Unternehmens­kommunikation. Leipzig: Popp, 20-49)
- Gerhard Budin

For a glossary of terms used in the INCA project below.
Glossary (pdf, 34kb)
Glossary (pdf, 32kb)
Glossary (pdf, 103kb)