NICE programme

The Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship

You can find out more about NICE, including how to apply at: nice-eu.org/

NICE offers students the opportunity to develop valuable intercultural competencies and entrepreneurial skills by completing a virtual learning programme, developed by a consortium of eight European research-intensive universities. Participants will learn how to apply these skills to global and societal challenges of their choosing by working together in transnational teams, enhancing their employability and confidence in the global workplace.

NICE is open to all students from partner universities (UCD is a partner) and is specifically built in a way to encourage students who haven't been able to go abroad previously, have specialised learning requirements, or don't have the time to go away for more than a week.

The NICE programme will provide you with skills to become more employable after graduation. You will build these skills by:

• Participating in an interactive virtual module, focused on intercultural competence and entrepreneurship.

• Building an innovative business idea in a cross-national team to address a Global Challenge.

You also have the opportunity to apply to attend a Summer School hosted by one of the partner universities.

Jane Creevy BSc in Sociology and Social Policy

My name is Jane Creevy. I am a mature student and I have just completed my final year as an undergraduate studying Sociology and Social policy. I first heard about the NICE programme when I received an email in my student email inbox. Initially, I thought this is for younger students, so I looked it up online and read more information about and I was intrigued. This programme is for everybody. The NICE programme which stands for Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship helped me to learn about entrepreneurship in a much broader sense than I believed entrepreneurship to be which for me was the first lesson.

This programme offers a unique opportunity of working in a diverse virtual team to develop a business idea to solve a global challenge. Our wonderful multicultural team included people from Ukraine, Holland, and Scotland to name a few. We all worked together to complete tasks and online modules. These modules were inciteful and interesting and it was great to do a college project without the stress of being graded and exams This project did not feel like work – it was enjoyable!

I feel especially as a mature student you can get caught up in study and learning and forget to make time for extracurricular and enjoyable interesting things. You can falsely believe that some college activities are not applicable to you and therefore overlook them. Additionally, as a mature student it is difficult to immerse yourself in student life what with other commitments such as financial and family, this programme offers a wonderful opportunity to travel and study which may not always be an option for a mature student. I am so glad I decided to apply to this programme. I am looking forward to attending the week long summer school in Padua, and continuing to build on my skills and refining our business idea.