Michigan Engineering X CulturaSkills

Take a group of engineering students heading toward their international experience and equip them with a toolkit of intercultural and soft skills: that’s the essence of our partnership with the Michigan Engineering Study Abroad Program in San Sebastian, Spain!

In this blog post, we dive deeper into this collaboration, exploring the specifics of CulturaSkills integration, the rationale behind the faculty's decision to choose CulturaSkills, and the impact on students’ professional and personal lives.

Why CulturaSkills?

Driven by advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual reality and remote work capabilities - technology continues to reshape how we live and work, breaking down geographical boundaries. As the future looks increasingly automated, digital, interconnected and collaborative, human skills are essential to effectively and meaningfully navigating these diverse work and non-work environments. CulturaSkills is a compact and powerful soft skills training course designed to equip individuals with these in-demand intercultural and inter-identity skills.

CulturaSkills's six modules guide students through a variety of resources accommodating different learning styles and objectives. Students are encouraged to:

   🫂 Embrace curiosity and open-mindedness for enriching cross-cultural interactions. 

   🧘 Practice self-reflection, learn from mistakes, and foster a lifelong learning mindset. 

   🌳 Cultivate resilience and flexibility in challenging situations.

   🎨 Sharpen critical reflection, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. 

M-Eng students’ feedback revealed that the experience combined with CulturaSkills helped them build a foundation rooted in respect and celebration of different perspectives. Ultimately,  leading to deeper connections, effective communication and teamwork.

Why MichEng X CulturaSkills?

The integration of CulturaSkills speaks to International Programs in Engineering and M-STEM Academy's commitment to nurturing not just technically skilled engineers, but well-rounded professionals who can truly make a difference on a global scale. Considering the high demand for soft skills, this opportunity boosts Michigan Engineering students to get ahead, land dream positions and successfully collaborate in a diverse workplace.

Students' feedback and results show that the impact of CulturaSkills goes beyond their time in Spain, as CulturaSkills helps students integrate their experiences into their professional and personal lives. Here’s how:

   🌏 Adopt Global Citizen Mindset: Students developed an open-minded and deeper appreciation for cultural diversity. This newfound sensitivity translates into a willingness and readiness to embrace international opportunities. 

   🎭 Enhance Emotional Intelligence: Students sharpened their self-awareness and self-grounding skills. These transferable skills empower them to more easily adapt to unfamiliar situations and different cultural norms, no matter where they travel or work. 

   🗣️ Communicate Effectively Across Cultures: Students strengthened their ability to actively listen to and empathize with others’ perspectives and backgrounds. This fosters open communication helping them to build strong connections with people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. 

 CuturaSkills bridges the gap between hard and soft skills enabling students to apply their expertise in teamwork and to think of themselves as intercultural engineers capable of engaging and leading across differences.

How CulturaSkills Integration Works

The highly customizable nature of CulturaSkills ensures a seamless integration across diverse careers, programs and individual learning paths. Here’s how CulturaSkills integrated the Michigan Engineering Study Abroad Program in Spain.

Pre-departure intercultural preparation: CulturaSkills offers a variety of resources providing students with the knowledge and tools they needed to interact and immerse themselves into the Basque cultural environment with confidence and sensibility.

Supportive online community: Through the course, students had the opportunity to complete and share reflective activities and thoughts in a community of like-minded people. Students learn from one another, explore new ideas, and process their experiences. 

In-person activities in San Sebastian: CulturaGo provided insights as to how to lead in-person versions of the CulturaSkills activities. These activities helped students build and nurture their community abroad and reflect together on their mistakes, wins, and cultural understandings. 

Final Project via CulturaGo’s Reflection Tool: CulturaGo crafted unique prompts to allow students to revisit their experiences in a structured way and connect them to their future career and life aspirations.

We’re proud of this partnership and look forward to further empowering students in their experiences abroad. If you want to know more about CulturaSkills or who is it for don’t hesitate to visit our website and why not catch up on CulturaSkills Launch Party? 

Keen to explore how CulturaGo can support your institution and students? Feel free to reach out!