Experts and executives of organisations and businesses with international operations must have international capacities if they are to perform their inter-cultural tasks successfully. The Training Center for Development Cooperation (V-EZ) works to build these international capacities, in institutional partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the German Development Service (DED). InWEnt understands these capacities as the ability to work successfully in alien cultures and to mediate between cultures.

The preparatory courses offered by the V-EZ make a contribution to development cooperation based on partnership, geared to the needs of partner countries and their peoples. Some 40 institutions which second staff to or place staff in partner countries currently avail themselves of the services of the V-EZ. Every year, more than 1,000 experts and their families attend the seminars.

The focus is on interaction and experience-based learning. For this reason, group methods are used, whenever possible. The aim is not only to build knowledge and skills: learners should also be given the opportunity to reflect on their attitudes and behaviour, and to develop these. In addition to learning within a group or team, participants are given the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through private study. A well-stocked library and media centre are available to them to this end.

In more than 30 years of experience, the following focal activity areas have emerged

The V-EZ develops demand-driven upgrading courses in conjunction with other InWEnt departments and sector divisions. By combining existing modules, new products are generated, that address the specific needs of each client.