About the NICE Project
NICE stands for the Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship. The project began its existence as a multi-university partnership comprising eight different research-focused universities across the UK and Europe. Our partners pooled their collective expertise to create a virtual learning programme designed to help students develop in-demand intercultural and entrepreneurial skills.
The NICE programme is specifically designed to encourage students who haven't been able to go abroad previously, have specialised learning requirements, or don't have the time to go away for more than a week. One of our fundamental aims is to provide an international experience for students whose opportunity to travel or study abroad is otherwise limited.
Equipping students to excel in the global workplace
Together the NICE consortium set out to develop an innovative programme that equips students with the knowledge and practical experience to succeed in the global workplace. The programme supports students in achieving four key aims:
Building skills to enhance employability
The NICE programme is designed to enhance students' employability by helping them develop intercultural competencies and entrepreneurial skills, developing their ability to apply these skills to global and societal challenges by working together in virtual transnational teams.
2. encouraging ENTREPRENEURSHIP
One of the objectives of the European Commission is to encourage people to become entrepreneurs. By supporting our students to further develop their entrepreneurship skills, the NICE project is helping to shape creative, innovative risk-takers who have the ability to plan and manage projects to achieve success.
3. introducing tools for effective COLLABORATION
In the workplace, productive collaboration is often at the heart of success. To prepare our students for the job market, we aim to provide them with opportunities and projects in which they are challenged and engaged with students from other cultures. We aim to encourage positive collaboration and discussion between students who have very different ideas and worldviews.
4. developing INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
The globalisation of the labour market is creating a need for employees that have intercultural competencies and are confident and able to work in an international setting. The structures of culture and communication that influence our behaviours are complex. We aim to help students develop skills to identify how these structures influence their own lives and consequently how to work with people from other cultures in a positive and productive manner.
