Cross-cultural competence (3C) is one 21st century skill that employers have deemed important for employees to develop prior to entering the workforce. Despite the relevance of 3C to pre-professional populations, however, research in this area has primarily focused on the influence of 3C as it pertains to professional populations, such as expatriates and the military, for whom cross-cultural performance plays a critical role. Similarly, research exploring the development of 3C has been directed almost exclusively toward validating the effectiveness of interventions, many of which are implemented only after individuals are hired. The aim of this chapter is to address this gap in the cross-cultural literature by exploring how 3C may be developed in individuals prior to their entering the workforce. This chapter presents four 3C-relevant skills and discusses how the development of these skills may be facilitated in children and adolescents via activities or strategies that are readily incorporated into classroom curricula.
