By Itty Okopide

I recall the first time I heard the term “Global Competence”, I thought about many things, “How does this work,” “what does this mean”, “is this another way to earn money, “why do I really need to be globally competent” “Can I become a citizen of another country with a global competence certification”. Curiously, these were all my concerns and will be for anyone who uses this phrase for the first time. Interestingly today, we live in a constantly changing world, and the ability to become labor-ready citizens and collaborative problem solvers is essential hence the need to be globally competent.

Global Competence is a multi-faceted construct that requires the need to apply knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that aid in understanding global issues and cross-cultural situations.

I would also refer to global competence as the skills, values and behaviors that prepare young people to thrive in a more diverse and interconnected world. The next big question that we all must ask ourselves is this: am I globally competent? If not, Travel Kulture, would love to show you the importance of Global Competence.

• You need to be globally competent to cultivate cultural awareness and respectful interaction in an increasingly diverse society.

What does this mean? It means that part of being globally competent is understanding that people have different views and opinions as well as patterns of thought.  We all come from different societal backgrounds and an understanding of this will allow you to have meaningful interactions.

• You need to be globally competent to recognize and challenge cultural stereotypes and prejudices and promote harmonious life in multi-cultural communities.

When we are globally competent, we recognize and challenge cultural stereotypes and prejudices such as misogyny, (hatred or contempt for girls/women and attempting to keep them at a lower status) toxic masculinity/patriarchy, homophobia, etc. and promoting and engendering tolerance and harmonious living in multicultural societies.

READ ALSO: 3 Workplace Phrases Employees Should Use More Often 

I think I love the next reason why we all need to be globally competent which is,

• To utilize the inherently interconnected digital space, challenge biased media statements, and express our voices responsibly online.

Don’t we all need to worry about the many problems in our environment? Yes, we do, then we need to be globally competent to:

• Have the ability to show concern about global problems and participate in responding to social, political, economic, and environmental challenges.

Finally, we need to be globally competent to prepare for the world of work.

we ought to know that there is a growing need for effective communicators. A need for communicators who are open to people of different cultural backgrounds, can build trust in different teams, and can show respect for others, especially as technology continues. People establish connections on the internet in the context of the world scale.

Aside from the exhaustive benefits of why we all need to be globally competent, it is also important to note therefore that Global Competence supports the Sustainable Development Goals.

How?

By providing the educational vision advocated for by the SDG and encouraging young people to act for the collective well-being and the overall benefits of sustainable development embodied in the Sustainable development Goals.