The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning identify and define the 8 key competences necessary for personal fulfilment, active citizenship, social cohesion and employability in a knowledge society (Official Journal of the European Union L394. “SOCIAL & CIVIC COMPETENCE” (KC6) the ‘CULTURAL AWARENESS & EXPRESSION” (KC8) have been defined as the Key Competence No 6 (KC6) and the Key competence No 8 (KC8) as two out of the overall eight Key Competences identified for further action at Community level both within the Education and Training 2010 work programme and within the Community Education and Training Programme.

Social competence includes personal, interpersonal and intercultural communication and cover all forms of behavior that equip individuals to participate in an effective and constructive way in social and working life, and particularly in increasingly diverse societies, and to resolve conflict where necessary. For successful interpersonal and social participation it is essential to understand the codes of conduct and manners generally accepted in different societies and environments (e.g. at work). It is equally important to be aware of basic concepts relating to individuals, groups, work organisations, gender equality and non-discrimination, society and culture. Understanding the multi-cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of European societies and how national cultural identity interacts with the European identity is essential.

Cultural awareness is essential to understand the cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe and other regions of the world, the need to preserve it and the importance of aesthetic factors in daily life. A solid understanding of one’s own culture and a sense of identity can be the basis for an open attitude towards and respect for diversity of cultural expression. Cultural Awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions.

Within a globalized tourism market place, there’s no industry more closely linked with cultural awareness than the TRAVEL and TOURISM industry. From front-line customer service to marketing and product development, understanding cultural norms is the foundation to successful interaction with customers and partners in and from different countries. Tourism brings individuals and human communities into contact, and through them cultures and civilizations, has an important role to play in facilitating dialogue among cultures. Tourism can have positive and lasting effects on our cultural and natural heritage, on creativity and cultural diversity, and on the environment and balance of societies.

The tourism and hospitality industry is an international service industry that relies on the provision of services to culturally different customers. This project will investigate the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed and the strategies for improving Social and Cultural awareness competence in the tourism and hospitality industry. Cultural awareness communication and social skills are necessary not only to develop the ability and knowledge for the provision of appropriate and culturally sensitive services to international tourists but also to avoid and/or reduce tensions and build mutual understanding among international tourists and hosts with different cultural values.

The proposed project with a focus on the needs of the Tourism & hospitality sector will build further upon the curriculum which was developed during the CERF project for KC6 and for KC8 which was a Leonardo Da Vinci-Transfer of Innovation project, coordinated by DIMITRA and selected as an example of excellence and a good practice project in the “Best of ADAM - Innovative products for vocational education”. The continuation of the CERF project was a suggestion made from the evaluators of the Greek National Agency who in the final report recommended that the projects should be continued by certifying more Key competences.

The project aims to create and test a customized programme in order the European citizens working in the tourism and hospitality industry to develop appropriate interpersonal and cultural awareness skills, the ability to recognize cultural differences in personal values and behaviour and acquire the know-how to manage cultural diversity on the basis on their own identified needs. Moreover it aims to promote positive attitudes to diversity and participation in creative and cultural activities.