spotLITE workshop: Enhancing student equity from classroom to workplace though intercultural competence

by Amy Braithwaite, LITE Student Research Assistant

 

This week I attended a spotLITE workshop titled Enhancing student equity from classroom to workplace through intercultural competence, led by Associate Professor Maria Hussain. Maria is based in Leeds University Business School and is a Chartered ABS Fellow. She’s also a member of the CABDS EDI committee, a panellist on the REC-SAT, and her LITE Fellowship from 2022 to 2024 focussed on embedding intercultural competence (ICC) across the University of Leeds curriculum.

As a student, I was particularly drawn to this workshop because of my own experiences with intercultural learning. I went to a school with a very diverse international cohort, which gave me early exposure to a wide range of perspectives, languages, and cultural practices. These experiences have shaped how I work with others and have helped me in various roles at university, from academic group work to leadership in sport. I was curious to see how these personal experiences could connect with institutional approaches to equity and inclusion.

 

What is intercultural competence?

Intercultural competence (ICC), sometimes referred to as global insight or cultural intelligence, is the ability to communicate, interact, and work effectively across cultures. It involves three interrelated components:

• Knowledge of your own and others’ cultural backgrounds and perspectives
• Behaviour that adapts appropriately in diverse cultural contexts
• Attitude marked by openness, curiosity, and respect for different ways of thinking and doing

Increasingly, ICC is being recognised not only as a valuable personal skill, but also as an essential graduate attribute that contributes to employability and inclusive leadership in today’s globalised workplace.

 

Activity one: Exploring positionality and privilege

The session began with a powerful reflective task, inspired by a "privilege walk." We considered a series of statements about our backgrounds, like whether English is our first language, if our parents went to university, or whether we received free school meals. We added or subtracted points based on our answers, giving us a visual sense of the advantages or disadvantages we’ve each experienced.

This made me reflect deeply on my own starting point and how equity is about recognising that we don’t all begin from the same place. It was an opportunity to acknowledge the hidden challenges others may have faced.

The discussion that followed introduced intercultural competence as a framework made up of three interconnected elements: knowledge, behaviour and attitude.

 

Activity two: Making the case for ICC

We moved into small groups, and each explored one element of ICC. My group focused on attitude, and we were asked two guiding questions: how to demonstrate the importance of ICC to students, and what factors specific to a subject or discipline we might need to consider.

My group discussed object-based learning as one way to surface biases and help students value different perspectives. It was great to share ideas across student and staff experiences, and I appreciated hearing how others try to make their classrooms more inclusive.

Other groups focused on:

• Knowledge: Helping students recognise that all knowledge comes from a particular viewpoint, not a neutral perspective
• Behaviour: Building skills like emotional intelligence and inclusive communication, which are valuable in both academic and professional settings

 

Research findings: Intercultural competence and employability

Maria then shared findings from her LITE Fellowship project, Exploring the value placed on diversity: from the international classroom to the global workplace. The research combined surveys and focus groups with students, along with interviews with graduate employers.

One insight that really stayed with me was that international and underrepresented students often found working across cultures more challenging. This was not because of unwillingness, but due to language barriers or a fear of being misunderstood. Meanwhile, employers highlighted the importance of communication skills, inclusive leadership, and recognising bias.

I found the idea of inclusive leadership behaviours especially compelling. It resonated with me how important it is to interpret others’ behaviours through a lens of awareness, rather than assumption. As Maria’s project highlighted, future leaders will increasingly need to manage the tension between diversity and inclusion in dynamic, diverse work environments. Her research makes a strong case that ICC should be visibly embedded across the curriculum through programme-level learning outcomes and institutional skills frameworks like the Leeds Skills Matrix and Leeds Capabilities Framework. This way, students can develop ICC in a tangible and sustainable way during their university experience and feel confident articulating it to future employers.

 

Introducing the ICC toolkit

Towards the end of the session, Maria introduced a 3-step visual guide/toolkit for embedding ICC into curriculum and co-curricular activities.

As a student, I really appreciated how practical the toolkit was. It’s flexible enough to apply across faculties, including in STEM subjects where critical reflection isn’t always the focus. It also reinforced that ICC isn’t something abstract and instead can be actively built into everyday learning.

Going forward

After this workshop, I feel more aware and more equipped. I want to:

• Be more intentional in how I communicate and work with peers from different backgrounds
• Use the ICC toolkit as a resource in future group projects or mentoring roles
• Share some of what I learned, especially with other students who might not yet see ICC as relevant to them

 

Concluding thoughts

Maria’s session was a thought-provoking and engaging look at how intercultural competence can make education more inclusive and equitable. It helped me connect personal experience with research-driven practice and showed me new ways to think about inclusion. It also reinforced how ICC is not just a student development goal, but a graduate readiness imperative. If we want students to become confident, collaborative professionals and global citizens, ICC needs to be part of their learning journey from the start.