Most people would agree that training is important in life to carry out tasks successfully and, in some cases, safely.
Frances Fawcett discusses why training is critical for any business.
No one sensible would attempt to scale a mountain without undertaking training first. They would be putting their life in danger. The same is true in business and training brings significant benefits as well as enabling people to carry out tasks properly.
Training is beneficial for organisations and employees alike. For organisations it delivers more efficiency leading to increased profitability, improved employee satisfaction and morale, and helps with accreditations valued by customers and other stakeholders. Consider this – are your people trained to meet the requirements that keep your company safe and well run? Organisations have statutory compliance requirements to meet and must ensure their staff are trained on exactly what that means.
For individual employees, undertaking training increases their worth, improves performance and morale and makes them more valuable now and in the future.
What training is available for international trade?
For some years, International Trade Matters Ltd has been working with local Chambers of Commerce to build and deliver the British Chambers of Commerce international accredited training courses. The training programme has operated since 2013 and can lead to the BCC Foundation Award in International Trade. This is a nationally recognised, NVQ Level 2 equivalent, qualification.
There are eleven modules in the programme, and each offers a credit towards the award. Six credits are needed to receive the award, but it may be that some roles only need two or three. Not everyone completes all the modules required for the award and that is completely fine. It is important that training is undertaken which is relevant to someone’s role.
Imagine undertaking that mountain climbing training but not going near a mountain for a year or two.
There is a reason training in topics such as safety and first aid need to be refreshed periodically – you forget knowledge if you don’t have the opportunity to put it to use.
In addition to the BCC Award, more tailored learning packages can be a good option for many businesses.
If the qualification isn’t as important as the knowledge, a training programme built around your international trade activities is often more time-efficient and cost-effective.
We are in turbulent times in the international trade arena. Not only are we coming out of a global pandemic, but we are also settling into the realities of trading post-Brexit and countries around the world are experiencing challenging economic times.
Now is, therefore, a critical time to ensure your staff have the skills they need.
At International Trade Matters, we have always had a very flexible approach to training because we know that every company is different. We deliver online public courses in partnership with Chambers of Commerce. We offer bespoke training either in-person or online that is tailored to the needs of individual companies, and even individual teams. Happily, our courses are well received by attendees. We monitor feedback regularly and continually develop the materials and the content. Imagine our delight when we recently reviewed feedback and found that over three quarters of attendees gave us an overall rating of “Excellent”.
Some of the comments were a pleasure to read as well.
- “Great Course. Very Helpful. The trainer was well informed.”
- “The trainer was so easy to listen to and explained everything perfectly.”
- “Well experienced, knowledge of the trainers was excellent. Definitely worth it and absolutely necessary to take these courses for every business in international trading.”
- “Mike was an excellent presenter. His knowledge and his style of delivery was very good.”
- “Very clear and well executed by Frances.”
- “It was a great experience – informative and interactive and I felt able to get bespoke answers and info to address my particular needs.”
- “Would like to thank Frances for this training, it’s given me a better understanding keep up the good work :)”
- “Mike was absolutely brilliant. so much knowledge he has.”
- “Frances – you are so good, you need to rebrand as a customs counsellor”
Businesses large and small are facing challenging times now.
It is therefore critical that your teams can work as skilfully and effectively as possible to increase your productivity and, as is always so vital, ensure you are meeting your compliance obligations. Some would say that current global challenges give many businesses a mountain to scale. Let us help you gain the skills to scale that mountain safely and successfully.
You can see all upcoming courses on our training calendar or get in touch to discuss which courses would be suitable and tailor a package.