Stories

Extension programme for trade advisers launched in China

21 June 2012
ITC News
ITC’s Certified Trade Advisers’ Programme is being extended, enhancing the capacities of senior trade advisers to guide SME managers and enabling them to coach other trainers.

Nineteen ITC-certified trade advisers in China have embarked on further training in order increase their skills enabling them to coach other trainers. The training is an upgrade from Enterprise Management Development EMD) Adviser titles that the trainees received after completing ITC’s Certified Trade Advisers’ Programme (CTAP) in June 2010. After completion of the programme they will be certified as Senior EMD Advisers.

The extended training programme was launched in response to a request by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), which wanted increase the know-how of the first trainees and allow them to not only provide guidance to managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, but enable them to also coach other trainers.

The 19 trainee-trainers are being taught to build capacities for training and certifying their own advisers and trainers in their local languages through their network of sub-councils, branches and members. As part of the programme, which is funded entirely by CCPIT, related ITC tools and methodologies have been translated to Chinese.

Enterprise fieldwork

The first workshop was held on 7-11 May and has since been supplemented with fieldwork in enterprises where the trainees have gained further practical knowledge and, under the supervision of coaches, implemented what they covered in the workshop. Fieldwork took place in Beijing, Shijiazhuang and Nanjing with 10 enterprises participating in the programme. The 10 enterprises will also benefit from business diagnostic services carried out by the trainees in an effort to advance their international competitiveness.

A second workshop will be held on 1-7 July, on 3-7 August the trainees will rehearse their training programmes that they will carry out between 15 October and 2 November. The trainees are expected to achieve their certification at the end of November.