Calling budding Young International Traders Last year one of the Institute of Export & International Trade’s trustees partnered with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) to launch a pilot for the North of England region that would provide a template for a national campaign. We were asked by local but highly international firm ICC Solutions in Warrington, Cheshire if we would like to help to support this, and of course the answer was yes. Together, we pulled together a programme of activity which they very kindly funded.
Over 30 students from six schools formed teams to work through the challenges and hurdles that small businesses have to navigate in order to export successfully. They used their initiative to research product ideas and overseas markets using resources we provided.
Following a vibrant showcase in which each team presented their products and export plans to a panel of expert judges, the winning school from Teesside inspired us all with their plan to export Lifesaving / Swimming Programmes to Uganda.
Scaling this groundbreaking pilot to a national scale is the next step, allowing all young people doing their DofE programme the opportunity to become ‘Young International Traders’.
Using the Open to Export website - a free service powered by the Institute - we have created a larger resource and rich and structured approach through which young people across the country can work towards the much coveted The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They create their own businesses and learn to develop online export plans utilising a digital portal that contains a wealth of accessible information and articles, providing our budding entrepreneurs everything they need in order to become Young International traders.
Participants are asked to think of a business, where they’ll sell it to, and what modifications they’ll need to make to their product in order to sell there. They’re then asked how they would market the product in a different culture before considering how they’d price and deliver it into that market. As a result of their research and endeavour they create a coherent export plan that exhibits their understanding of the knowledge needed to trade internationally.
As an Ofqual awarding body, the IOE&IT then offers the students the chance to go online and complete a Level 1 assessment of the knowledge they have gained, with the special reward of becoming a certified ‘Young International Trader’. David Maisey, CEO and Co-Founder of ICC Solutions explains, ‘As a multiple winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise we wanted to inspire others to embrace opportunities in international trade, especially young people who face a lot more challenges in this changing world, and we wanted to help them prepare for hopefully becoming the successful exporters of tomorrow.’
Institute of Export & International Trade Director General, Lesley Batchelor, agrees, saying, ‘Our remit is to build competence and skills in international trade and this project is a brilliant example of how we can help build the confidence in young people to look further afield for new ideas, products and markets.’
Lesley Batchelor adds, ‘World trade matters and these young people are at the beginning of building a great nation of exporters. Good luck to the first cohorts that will start in January 2018 - we hope they will catch the bug and go on to study our apprenticeship programmes or qualifications, we want to build a new culture of export expectations.’
https://opentoexport.com/dofe/
Institute of Export & International Trade Overview
The Institute of Export & International Trade’s mission is to enhance the export performance of the United Kingdom by setting and maintaining professional standards in international trade management and export practice. This is principally achieved by the provision of education, training and practical support, a helpline and one-to-one assistance with paperwork.
Dedicated to professionalism and recognising the challenging and often complex trading conditions in international markets, the Institute is committed to the belief that real competitive advantage lies in competence and that commercial power, especially negotiating power, is underpinned by a sound basis of knowledge.
For over 80 years now the Institute of Export has been offering education in International Trade.
Current qualifications on offer:
Qualifications in brief www.export.org.uk/qualifications/
NVQ equivalent level 1 Young International Trader
(Available electronically) 2 *International Trade Logistic Operations
3 Certificate in International Trade
4 Level 4 Diploma in international trade
5 Level 5 Diploma in International Trade
Diploma in World Customs Compliance and Regulations
Higher Apprenticeship in International Trade the first so far.
OFQUAL awarding status is hard earned and we are proud to be the only professional body operating in this international trade environment.
Students can go on to a BSc from Plymouth and MSc from Warwick Universities.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – figures correct as of 2016/17 stats
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is the world’s leading youth achievement award that is currently helping 420,000 young people to develop for life and work in the UK. In 2016/2017, over 270,000 young people started a DofE programme, including nearly 50,000 from disadvantaged backgrounds. Founded by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1956, the DofE is currently being delivered in 10,800 DofE centres such as schools, youth clubs and prisons, supported by over 2,600 partner organisations and approximately 40,000 adult volunteers from all walks of life.
In total, over six million people have participated in DofE programmes in the UK and achieved over 2.7 million Awards since 1956. In 2016/2017, 133,369 achieved a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The DofE is supported by UK employers including Amey, St. James’s Place, Tarmac, British Gas, DFS, Heathrow and RSM who endorse the skills and attributes developed whilst doing a DofE programme such as resilience, commitment, self-motivation and team working.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a Registered Charity No 1072490 and in Scotland No SC038254 and a Royal Charter Corporation RC000806
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation is a Registered Charity in England and Wales, No 1072453. There are more than one million young people currently participating globally in 141 countries and territories.
About ICC Solutions
Established in 1996, ICC Solutions Limited is an independent company headquartered in Cheshire. It is a global leader in the provision of test tools to help banks and retailers implement secure payment technology, such as Chip & PIN, and exports to over 60 countries. We aspire to deliver excellence to our clients worldwide, providing the most innovative and efficient solutions and services.
The company is a four time Queen’s Awards for Enterprise winner (two in International Trade and two in Innovation), a Department for International Trade North West Export Champion and a Commonwealth First Export Champion. David Maisey, CEO is a Trustee Director at the Institute of Export.
ICC Solutions is committed to helping to further enhance British exporting, embracing entrepreneurship, innovation and international trade.
