CCIPT to provide Export Management Development certification in China

The agreement, which will lead to the roll out of training programmes throughout the country, is seen as a milestone in extending ITC’s export management programmes in China.

The agreement was signed last month in Ningbo, China, recognizing CCPIT as the National Centre for Export Management Development (NC-EMD) of ITC. CCPIT will deliver training and counselling programmes, using the methodology, material and tools provided by ITC, to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs. It will also be able to train and certify its own advisers to work as consultants.

Gultekin Ozaltinordu, Adviser Enterprise Competitiveness Section, said: “The establishment of the NC-EMD is a move towards sustainability of a network of trained trainers and consultants who will be able to deliver ITC’s programmes in local languages. People will benefit right along the supply chain, with improved skills in areas including enterprise strategy design, building enterprise capabilities for enhancing competitiveness and export procedures, leading to a multiplier effect among SMEs. This viral growth process is exactly what ITC is trying to achieve through its export management programmes in China.”

NC-EMD has agreed to ensure that special emphasis will be paid to the inclusion of women-owned enterprises and that women will participate in the management development programmes.

NC-EMD will be able to train its advisers under a certification programme similar to the Certified Trade Adviser Programme (CTAP), part of ITC’s capacity building programme on export management development, which began in China in 2009. CTAP helps trainers and consultants improve the services they provide to SMEs. CTAP was designed to help staff and affiliated trainers and consultants of CCPIT to identify business weaknesses and design sustainable training and counselling solutions for SME managers to improve their business strategies.

Four pilot training programmes were held last week by CCPIT for participants who had completed the earlier stages of CTAP. After initial training, participants may become certified as Export Management Development (EMD) Advisers, who are entitled to train SME managers, using ITC materials and tools. Last week’s training programmes were the final field activities required by the CTAP Extension programme launched in March 2012 for EMD Advisers to become Export Management Development Experts, allowing them to train trainers as well.