Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway receives Honourary CITP Designation

June 11, 2009 – The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, was presented with a honourary Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation as part of International Trade Day on June 3, 2009. This honourary designation is FITT’s highest distinction and is conferred very sparingly to private or public sector leaders who have made a difference in Canada’s positioning in the world.

Hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, International Trade Day is an annual event that brings together the business community, senior government officials, industry stakeholders and academics to discuss issues and priorities in international trade and economics. In a letter to Caroline Tompkins, President of FITT, Minister Day noted, “The need for international trade competencies will continue to grow in this globalized world. I would like to thank and encourage FITT for its efforts in designing the training needed to help individuals and businesses succeed internationally”.

Additionally, Minister Day noted the launch of a new pilot project whereby trade commissioners will be able to pursue the CITP designation further enhancing the service delivery capabilities of the Trade Commissioners Service for the benefit of Canadian companies. In her presentation of the honourary designation to Minister Day, Ms. Tomkins said, “With this we pay tribute to your past and future accomplishments and thank you for your continued support and commitment to building Canada’s capacity to undertake international trade”.

This was a very appropriate venue for FITT to present the honourary CITP designation to Minister Day, not only was Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada a founding partner of FITT’s back in 1992, but so too was the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The CITP program focuses on best practices in international trade. It offers practical knowledge and skills that trade practitioners can apply immediately.
For more information on how your organization can benefit from FITT specialized training in global business, please contact Scott Ferris, Director of Business Development at scott@fitt.ca or 613.230.3553 / 800.561.3488.

Trade Commissioner Service launches online training pilot project with FITT

June 10, 2009 – Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has approved the opportunity for 25 employees of the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) to register for an online training pilot project, to obtain the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation through FITT and eConcordia. This pilot project, for Trade Commissioner Service employees in posts and regional offices, aims to enable participants to take part in a certification program that reflects their roles and responsibilities in serving Canadian companies engaged in international business.

This pilot represents activities that will take place in the first year of a five-year program within the Department and could ultimately see 125 Trade Commissioners earning their CITP designation. The Department is offering this online training pilot project to further enhance the learning opportunities at posts and regional offices as it implements the Integrative Trade Model across the organization.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada is one of FITT’s founding partners. The opportunity to engage with the Trade Commissioner Service in the provision of training that will enhance the skills and knowledge of TCS staff, while increasing the global competitiveness of Canadian companies, represents a significant addition to the partnership between FITT and the Department.

The CITP program focuses on best practices in international trade. It offers practical knowledge and skills that trade practitioners can apply immediately. This gives them a competitive edge and raises their professional credibility with clients of the Trade Commissioner Service. eConcordia will be the online provider for this training in both official languages.

For more information on how your organization can benefit from FITT specialized training in global business, please contact Scott Ferris, Director of Business Development at scott@fitt.ca or 613.230.3553 / 800.561.3488.

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Le 10 juin 2009 – Affaires étrangères et Commerce international Canada a approuvé un projet-pilote de formation en ligne pour 25 employés du Service des délégués commerciaux (SDC), qui pourront s’inscrire en vue d’obtenir le titre de Professionnel accrédité en commerce international (PACI) par l’entremise de FITT et de eConcordia. Ce projet-pilote destiné aux employés en poste et des bureaux régionaux du Service des délégués commerciaux leur permet de participer à un programme de certification qui reflète leurs rôles et responsabilités, soit celui de servir les entreprises canadiennes ayant des activités internationales.

Ce projet-pilote représente les activités de la première année d’un programme de cinq ans au sein du Ministère, aux termes duquel 125 délégués commerciaux pourraient obtenir le titre PACI. Le Ministère offre ce projet-pilote de formation en ligne afin de renforcer les occasions d’apprentissage des employés sur le terrain et dans les bureaux régionaux, alors qu’il déploie le modèle du commerce d’intégration à l’échelle de l’organisation.

Affaires étrangères et Commerce international Canada est un des membres fondateurs de FITT. La possibilité de collaborer avec le Service des délégués commerciaux dans la prestation d’une formation qui améliorera les compétences et les connaissances du personnel du SDC, tout en rehaussant la compétitivité mondiale des entreprises canadiennes, représente un ajout important au partenariat existant entre FITT et le Ministère.

Le programme PACI met l’accent sur les pratiques exemplaires du commerce international. Il offre des connaissances et des compétences pratiques que les praticiens du domaine peuvent appliquer immédiatement. Cela leur confère un atout concurrentiel et rehausse leur crédibilité professionnelle auprès des clients du Service des délégués commerciaux. eConcordia offrira la formation en ligne dans les deux langues officielles.

Pour un complément d’information sur la manière dont votre organisation peut tirer parti de la formation spécialisée FITT en commerce mondial, veuillez contacter Scott Ferris, Directeur du développement des affaires, par courriel à scott@fitt.ca ou par téléphone au 613.230.3553 / 800.561.3488.

Career Opportunity with FITT - Administrator, Member Relations

Position: Administrator, Member Relations
Reports To: Manager, Marketing Communications
Salary: $32-35K
Deadline to apply: June 24, 2009

General Accountability
To administer and support all FITT membership activities and increase FITT membership base, with particular emphasis on: Certified International Trade Professionals (CITP), member retention, and member satisfaction.

Specific Accountabilities or Expected Results

Administer and support membership activities

Increase membership base, with particular emphasis on CITPs, member retention and member satisfaction

Increase the profile of the CITP designation across Canada and liaise with members to create awareness of member benefits and programs

Implementation of membership recruitment and retention plans

Maintenance of the marketing and membership database with assistance from the Coordinator Marketing

Administrative support for membership, business development, and marketing activities

Tasks or Responsibilities

Administer and support all membership activities including: implementing invoicing schedule and ensuring that membership revenue processes are implemented; processing membership applications, renewals and lapsing; maintaining membership files; tracking of all activities as required; etc.

Compile membership statistics and reports monthly

Draft communications and correspondence as required

Proactively communicate with members to assess member needs and provide required information

Implement membership opportunities and benefits

Implement membership recruitment and retention plans

Support conference and regional programming activities

Support business development and marketing through research and administrative activities as required

Maintain and update the policies and procedures guide as it pertains to membership activities

Maintain the marketing and membership database (processing/updating/data entry, etc)

Arrange travel accommodations for business development, marketing, and President

Respond to, process, and track requests for information about FITT products and services

Process incoming and outgoing mail daily (courier packages to be a shared responsibility with Coordinator Education and Certification)

Other duties include but are not limited to: website research, updating FITT documentation, and ordering coffee supplies

Minimum Skill Requirement

Language

Fluently bilingual - English and French

Knowledge and Experience

Database experience

Web experience

Intermediate level ability with Microsoft programs in a Windows environment

Experience in a customer service environment

Knowledge of business administration

Strong oral and written communication skills

Personal Traits

Attention to detail

Flexible

Resourceful

Good Initiative

Organized

Motivated


Contact
Silvia Baptista – Manager, Marketing Communications
silvia@fitt.ca


FITT thanks all applicants, but only those being considered for the position will be contacted.

FITT’s 12th National Conference & CME’s Global Business Summit – Special Thanks to our Community

FITT celebrated its 12^th National Conference in conjunction with CME’s Global Business Summit at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on May 25-26. On behalf of everyone at FITT and the FITT Board of Directors, thank you for participating—we hope you had a wonderful and beneficial time! For those who missed the conference, don’t despair! We will be assembling photos and presentation decks from the event which will be made available online shortly. A few presentations are already available for download. Thank you to the conference organizers, partners, and all helpers, for the hard work you put in to make this year’s conference such a success.

The joint conference featured a medley of expert speakers spanning topics from Industrialized Export Markets, to Operations, Supply Chain and Customs Management. Highlights included keynote addresses from the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway; Louis Lévesque, Deputy Minister of International Trade, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; Juergen G. Schachler, President & CEO ArcelorMittal Dofasco; Mr. Stephen Poloz, Senior Vice-President, Financing Products Group, Export Development Canada; and Alan Curleigh, Chairman, Canadian Commercial Corporation. Thank you to all our amazing speakers and contributors!

Congratulations once again to all of the designation recipients and award winners, including the 2008-2009 CITPs, 2008 FITT Educational Award Winners, and the EDC-FITT Internship Recipient. We were thrilled to acknowledge and celebrate your successes with the entire international trade community. View the complete list of winners!

To fully understand how our event has meet your needs, we are conducting a mini-survey. We understand your day is busy, so we’ve organized the survey to take approximately 2-5 minutes. The results will be used to enable us to make specific improvements in the way we organize our events, and improve your overall experience with future events. Please be assured that your expectations related to confidentiality will be respected. Your responses will be submitted anonymously without any personally identifiable information. Click here to begin the survey.

And last but not least, a very special thanks to our partners!

We owe a special thank you to all our supporters whose generosity made the conference possible.

FITT Conference Strategic Partners:

FITT Conference Supporting Partners: