Following my undergraduate studies and initial international experience, I decided to further my education, and looked for an international business program that offered a practical application of the curriculum; enter the FITT-accredited Graduate Certificate in International Business Management at Algonquin College.

The program was detailed and the curriculum applied to real-world scenarios. This provided me with a strong foundation for an international trade career.

Over the course of eight months, and with the support of my peers and instructors, I achieved success in the program. In fact, in 2012 I was awarded a FITT Educational Award for my International Business Plan.

Applying international trade training in the real world

Following my graduation, I received a job offer from the South African High Commission in Ottawa. My position was focused on public diplomacy and aiding the mission with research and analysis of key priorities, Canadian governments and businesses, the Canadian market, and investment and partnership opportunities.

FITT laid the foundation for me to jump in and adapt to the international environment.

The work at the High Commission was diverse and culturally vibrant; it offered a series of challenges everyday that were conducive to my personal and professional growth. I had opportunities to conduct political and foreign policy analysis, review investment and partnership opportunities in western Canada, and experience the inner workings of the BRICS relationships.

Working in this diplomatic environment also provided me with numerous opportunities to expand my professional network.

I worked at the High Commission for seven months, and following the end of my term I was offered the opportunity to work for the World Trade Centre Dublin (WTCD), part of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA).

Building global experience and forging connections

A few days after finishing at the High Commission I stepped off a plane in Dublin, Ireland, and was thrown into a work environment that was diverse and multifaceted.

Account management, sales, marketing, and trade facilitation; I experienced it all while at the WTCD. The experience was hands-on, rugged and exciting. It forced me to expand my thinking and use my FITT-accredited education to drive the growth of the organization, while continuing to build my global network.

From aircraft, medical and defence equipment, to food and textiles, there wasn’t much that didn’t filter through the Trade Centre.

Using the skills I gained from FITT, I worked with other traders, trade centres, governments and businesses from around the world, establishing relations with trade teams from over 15 countries.

The WTCD is a relatively small operation, and because of this, I had the opportunity to work directly with everyone from the heads of diplomatic missions and company executives from small-scale, locally-oriented businesses to tech and internet giants, such as Google, Twitter, PayPal and Facebook.

Having the confidence to take chances

Following my tenure at the WTCD, I returned to Ottawa and was offered a new position at the South African High Commission where I’m currently working on the economic and trade portfolio.

As part of a small team, I’m focused on the economic diplomacy efforts of the mission. Each day we explore opportunities to connect Canadian and South African businesses, and increase the visibility and awareness of South Africa as a market of great opportunity.

I deal with topics such as foreign direct investment, international marketing, trade events and importing and exporting. I try to find drivers for the growth of Canadian-South African economic relations.

Some of the most valuable lessons the FITT-accredited program and my experiences afterward reinforced were to build your network whenever you can and not shy away from any opportunities to gain experience.

The job market for young professionals is tough, but with those two things in mind, and FITT training in my back pocket, it has made moving forward with confidence and exploring the vast field of international trade a little bit easier.

The post Laying strong foundations for an exciting international trade career appeared first on Trade Ready.

Each year we like to take time to recognize a few of our students who’ve stood out to us and their instructors for their scholastic success. These students really shone in the classroom in terms of their hard work and dedication as well as for their great attitudes.

This year, we are proud to recognize six students from four of our academic institutions:

Maggie Zhaoxia Huang from Fanshawe College was selected for the FITT Achievement Award. She was chosen by the awards committee for her combination of academic success and classroom and community involvement.

“I’m tickled pink that Maggie has been selected,” said Albert Knab, Maggie’s teacher and nominator. “Aside from being one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever had in my classroom, she’s also brilliant.”

Maggie is the first and only student who has achieved academic perfection in Fanshawe’s business management program—an A+ in every course.

This year we have three winners for our International Business Plan Award. These students achieved the highest grade for their business plans for the FITTskills International Trade Management course in addition to having impressive GPAs: Bruce Nesbit from eConcordia/KnowledgeOne, and Elias Mansour and Patrick Barry, both from Algonquin College.

“To receive an award like this from such a credible organization, and to be picked from amongst numerous great students, is truly an honour,” said Mansour.

“The guidance and encouragement from my instructors and peers was invaluable throughout the development of my project, and helped lead me to my success,” said Barry. “The award is another step towards what I hope will be a long career in international trade.”

This year’s International Marketing Plan Award went to Ala Toghrol, Algonquin College’s third FITT Educational Award winner for 2012. Ala was selected because he received the highest grade of all FITTskills students in 2012 for his International Marketing plan combined with the highest GPA.

“Congratulations to Ala Toghrol, Elias Mansour and Patrick Barry for a job well done,” said Norman Lomow, CITP, Professor and Coordinator, Algonquin College. “Algonquin College is proud of your successes!”

“I am extremely excited and privileged to be the recipient of the International Marketing Plan award from FITT,” said Toghrol. “To be distinguished amongst the many strong entries is an absolute honour that I will cherish.”

And last but certainly not least, Claudia Peralta Olórtegui from Ashton College was selected for our Student of the Year Award, presented

by our strategic partner Export Development Canada (EDC). This means that Claudia scored the highest overall grade point average of all FITTskills students in 2012 after having completed all eight courses.

“She followed the course instructions and had 100 percent attendance, she was a great team participant and team leader, and she asked question after question until she understood,” said Darwin Fraser, Claudia’s instructor at Ashton. “She has the motivation to learn and the persistence to accomplish her goals.”

¨I am truly honoured to have been selected to receive the Student of the Year Award from FITT. The entire program was beyond my expectations and it really made me think globally. In addition, studying with great people from all over the world contributed to making it an amazing experience!¨

Congratulations again to all of our FITT Educational Awards winners. We hope you’ll all continue with your international trade training and remain on the path to achieving the CITP designation. And we’re excited to see how your talent and passion will benefit the international trade industry in the years to come!

The post Up and coming business achievers: Winners of the FITT Educational Awards 2012 appeared first on Trade Ready.