Published February 19, 2018

An International Project to Develop Students’ Intercultural Skills During an Internship Abroad

Marie-Élaine Lambert Student Mobility Advisor and Teacher, Cégep Marie-Victorin
Martin Richard Educational Advisor, Cégep régional de Lanaudière - Joliette

Starting in 2018 and for a period of 3 years, our respective colleges will be involved in the ELISSE project (E-Learning for Intercultural Skills in Social Education). This international project in social services came about in answer to an urgent need in terms of the development of intercultural skills for college and university students who were interning abroad. In addition to the field reality, the social codes and the modes of communication in the internship setting (including with the supervisors) greatly differ from one culture to the next and constitute additional factors that can cause students to lose their bearings. The ELISSE project aims to improve distance educational support in particular through the development of tools created by all of the institutions partnering in the project.