“Universities are engines of change,” said Daniela Willi-Piezzi, Director of Undergraduate and Graduate studies SUPSI, who opened the symposium with a call to embed global competence as a foundational element of Swiss higher education. Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and growing socioeconomic inequality, participants reflected on what it means to foster learners who are not only professionally prepared, but culturally humble, globally aware, and ethically grounded. Patrick Studer (Project Lead ZHAW) presented the Movetia-funded project, Developing a Sustainable Global Competence Certificate (GCC) in Switzerland, introducing the proposed GCC framework, its core components, and institutional implementation challenges.
Rethinking Internationalisation
The symposium challenged traditional views of internationalisation. In her keynote, Jennifer Valcke, reframed internationalisation as a strategic responsibility of higher education for all learners not as a privilege for the mobile few. She urged institutions to ask who the 21st-century learner is and what they bring to the table.
Robert O’Dowd explored how Virtual Exchange (VE) contributes to global learning, raising the critical question of whether students are being taught how to learn from online intercultural interactions.
Interactive sessions further examined:
- Guided reflexivity and immersive learning experiences,
- Quality assurance in Global Competence Certificate programmes,
- The importance and role of language in developing global competence.
Panellists raised critical questions:
- How can we support students who carry “invisible backpacks” – experiences shaped by migration, inequality, or multilingualism?
- What does it mean to be a 21st-century learner in Switzerland?
- How do we ensure students are guided effectively through their immersive or intercultural experiences – be they physical, virtual exchange, or rooted in internationalisation at home?
The Swiss Advantage
Switzerland’s plurilingual and pluricultural context was highlighted as a unique and strategic advantage. Rather than importing models, institutions were encouraged to make use of local strengths – especially through language learning, regional partnerships, and culturally embedded pedagogy.
Constraints were also acknowledged: from political expectations and regional identity narratives to affordability barriers limiting student mobility. These realities underline the need for scalable, context-sensitive frameworks like the proposed Global Competence Certificate (GCC), developed by SGCL partners.
What’s Next?
Participants expressed strong interest in actionable tools and follow-up opportunities:
- The SGCL will explore the development of a Blended Intensive Programme (BiP).
- The GCC framework will be shared widely for institutional consultation and feedback.
- SGCL invites participants to sign up to upcoming Swiss Global Training Days
- To get involved or host a future SGCL workshop on implementing a Global Competence Certificate at your institution, please contact the Swiss Global Competence Lab.