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Johanna Sale, Vice-Principal at Impington International College, UK, on why developing skills beyond the classroom are the key to success.

New research on the skills that young people need for the future highlights the importance of today’s students demonstrating examples of international-mindedness and charitability on their CVs. Being able to understand and accept different perspectives, embracing diversity and respecting different values are all beneficial to the workplace, and 40% of British Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) want to see evidence of international-mindedness and charity activity from candidates during the recruitment process. With business leaders searching for compassionate, open-minded young people who are responsible members of the global community, it has never been more important to ensure that students have a sincere appreciation and understanding of the wider world – and can demonstrate this to their prospective employees.

Ever since the inception of the International Baccalaureate (IB) following World War II, international-mindedness has been at the core of its curricular and is defined by three pillars: multilingualism, intercultural understanding and global engagement, which are evaluated and measured during the course of a student’s learning.

Growing up in an increasingly globalised world, it is important that students are able to communicate and collaborate effectively with people from a variety of sociocultural backgrounds. Research demonstrates that foreign language skills enhance students’ empathy and understanding of different perspectives. This is evident during our students’ international trips to countries as culturally diverse as Peru, Japan and India. Languages are an optional element of the UK National Curriculum but every IB student is required to study at least one additional language. Throughout our 30 years of teaching the IB’s Diploma Programme (DP), we have found that learning a foreign language enables our students to develop the attributes, such as tolerance, empathy and open-mindedness, which are valued by future employers.

At the College, our students can choose to study English, French, Italian, German, Spanish – or even Japanese as part of their DP. Our students have the opportunity to learn about the various cultures through virtual and in-person exchanges, which allows them to put their learning into practice and demonstrate their ability to appreciate and understand different cultural perspectives. This is assessed and evaluated in the same way that their language proficiency is. I firmly believe that the connections between language and culture are completely intertwined. Learning a foreign language helps our students to connect with histories, experiences and understanding of others. This understanding of, and respect for, communities beyond their own is crucial for navigating the global workforce.

In addition to language skills, being able to analyse a subject from different perspectives is embedded into the IB subject criteria and the theory of knowledge (TOK) course is where you truly see the impact of an international mindset. Composed almost entirely of questions, TOK is inquiry-led and students explore different ways of knowing and different kinds of knowledge through questions, such as: ‘How do we know?’. In both tasks of their final assessment, our students have to demonstrate that they understand their argument from different perspectives. We can clearly see the influence and impact of international-mindedness in our classrooms when our students are taking part in group discussions, debates and classroom-wide activities. Learning from their peers, and collaborating in groups, prepares students for success in the workplace.

Finally, while creativity, activity, service (CAS) is not formally assessed, all DP students undertake this essential element of the DP core; which enhances their personal development through experiential learning. With more than one-third of future employers believing that charity work should be part of every curriculum, IB students are well placed to demonstrate their activities within the local and global community. During CAS, students evidence their experience against seven learning outcomes, which provide measurable objectives. Whether this takes the shape of volunteering with Amnesty International, building a school in Peru or organising collections for refugees - all of which are projects recently undertaken by students at the College - they are clearly demonstrating their compassion, critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities through global engagement.

For more than 50 years, the IB has offered students a clear and measurable pathway to develop the attributes such as compassion, respect and open-mindedness that employers are prioritising to ensure that they are equipped to succeed beyond the classroom – and their country’s borders.

This article first appeared in the 2023/24 edition of John Catt's Guide to International Schools, which you can read here: