Trade Promotion Academy – an exciting new e-learning platform
Beginning of October, SIPPO launched its brand-new Trade Promotion Academy. This is an exciting e-learning platform that allows to continuously acquire core export promotion and market access knowledge and to consolidate existing knowledge through the exchange with peers. It was developed by top experts in the field and currently features four modules on key topics of trade promotion. In addition, it contains a rich resource library and provides excellent networking opportunities.
SIPPO is a longstanding, well-established flagship of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). Under SIPPO’s leadership the Trade Promotion Academy (TPA) was developed together with the International Trade Center ITC in Geneva. The contents for the e-learning module were elaborated in collaboration with the Import Promotion Desk (IPD, Germany) and the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) - two other longstanding European trade promotion programmes.
This valuable tool is directed to Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and will become an integral part of SIPPO’s mandate to share best practices in export promotion and to promote sustainable and inclusive trade in 11 countries worldwide. BSOs can thus empower their affiliated companies even better to bridge the so-called “last mile” in trade business and enable them to expand their market presence and get a stronger foothold in export markets.
The transfer of knowledge via digital platforms is key today. Therefore, the TPA is an e-learning platform that brings together core export promotion and market access knowledge and offers a rich resource library with guides, templates, and documents for practical application. It allows learners to obtain a Certificate of Completion and provides an excellent networking opportunity for specialists from all over the world in its Forum section. The TPA will be continuously improved and enriched with new knowledge over time. It is an important element in SIPPO’s training and consulting activities.
Four modules, and more to come
To date four modules on key topics of trade promotion are available on the platform: Market Analysis, Orientation Missions, Trade Fairs and Commercial Missions. A fifth module is already in preparation and ready in November. It will provide information on Virtual Matchmaking. Each module if composed of an e-learning of approximately 60 minutes, a skills section where you will learn how to apply specific skills needed, a resource section with a large number of documents and videos to support your learning as well as a quiz section. Upon successful completion of the quiz the learners will obtain the “Certificate of Completion”.
How can you access the Trade Promotion Academy?
To register, please click on the TPA website link: https://learning.intracen.org/theme/itc_sippo/landingpage/ request a registration key from SIPPO and open your personal account. You will then have full access to the catalogue of TPA Modules.
Fabienne-Alexia Müller, Programme Director of SIPPO, states in her short introduction video how valuable the TPA will be to our daily work. “But it depends on all of us to make it a vivid exchange platform from which we can all benefit greatly.”