As teachers in German vocational education, the authors have a considerable interest in and responsibility for developing intercultural business skills, which are increasingly vital for successful management across cultures. Special international competence may help trainees find attractive jobs and may also strengthen their companies' position on the global market. Particularly in the context of European integration, cross-border work placements offer an appropriate tool for qualifying trainees to cope with international situations at work. Such training modules away from home require special coordination with foreign partners and careful consideration of the curriculum, predeparture preparation, language training, organisation, supervision, monitoring and assessment. Valid certification of the intercultural learning progress, which should find wide acceptance by employees, seems particularly important in order to document the added value of training abroad for both trainee and employee. (Contains 1 figure.)