In a June 2014 CGA-FITT-Nanos survey, 97.7 percent of trade professionals responded that international trade is important or somewhat important to their company. Meanwhile, 71.4 percent agreed opportunities for Canadian companies to engage in international trade are increasing.
This combination of necessity and opportunity makes global business a vital component for a great number of Canadian companies. The problem for many businesses becomes understanding how to go from identifying international trade opportunities to seizing and capitalizing upon them.
FITTskills International Trade Training has Already Helped Thousands
For thousands of people across the province of Ontario, Canada, and the world, the solution has been FITTskills training and in particular, attainment of the elite Certified International Trade Professional (CITP®|FIBP®) designation.
With over twenty years of experience, the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) has become an international leader in trade training and certification. A testament to this is FITTskills courses and the CITP®|FIBP® designation having become the only international trade training and related certification endorsed by both the Canadian government and the World Trade Centers Association.
Trained Global Trade Professionals are a Competitive Advantage for Your Businesses
FITTskills training consists of eight practical, comprehensive online courses developed by business for business. Created in partnership with leading experts in every field, these courses have helped many international trade professionals, such as Natalia Goncharova, CITP®|FIBP®, an Import/Export Manager, Export Compliance Specialist for Boeing in Ottawa.
Natalia deals with many private-sector companies, as well as various governments, and faces the added challenge of compliance laws related to military items. With the support and encouragement of Boeing, she was able to complete the FITTskills courses and learn how to excel in her international work, all while navigating the complex legal and logistical requirements that go along with it.
Louei Ali, Director of Business Development for Canada Topp Corp. in London, ON is another international trade professional who feels the lessons he’s learned from FITTskills courses are playing a role in his current success. He praised his most recent course as being “a wealth of resources” from which he drew several valuable applicable lessons for his work.
FITTskills International Trade Training Success Story: Lora Rigutto, CITP, FIBP
Lora Rigutto Vigliatore, CITP®|FIBP®, similarly found FITTskills online classes to be a great benefit in her workplace. As an Export Manager for Intellimeter Canada Inc. in Pickering, she was able to help the company build its competitive advantage by helping it to grow internationally.
“The company was looking to take a strategic approach to global market expansion, so I used what I learned via the FITT curriculum to leverage my experience as an international business development specialist and hit the floor running,” she said. “I started up and headed the international business development division of the company. One of my first tasks was the creation of an international business plan with a focus on risk mitigation; which was not as monumental a task thanks to the FITTskills courses I had completed.”
On top of the immediate educational benefits of taking FITTskills courses along with the skills and knowledge gained from them, the completion of all eight courses is also the most commonly pursued path to gaining the CITP®|FIBP® designation.
Learn How International Trade Training Can Give You a Leg up on Your Competition
Natalia and Lora are just two of the over three hundred international trade professionals who have earned their designation in the past five years alone, a number that only continues to increase by the day.
Get trained in FITTskills under the Canada Job Grant program
FITT training is eligible for funding under the Canada Job Grant program, so make sure your company doesn’t miss this opportunity to learn how to keep its customers happy, and trade smarter and more efficiently, while becoming an industry leader.
Learn More about Accessing up to $10,000 for Training through the Canada Job Grant at a Free Informational Webinar
Learn more about how you can apply for funding to pay for FITT training—as well as a number of other funding programs for exporters—by attending a Free Webinar on Government Funding for Exporters, taking place Monday November 10, 2014 from 11:30am to 1:00pm (EST).