FITT for International Trade!

On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, two representatives from the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) visited the International Business Management (ITB) students in the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business. FITT's mission is "To develop and provide quality programs and professional certification in international trade designed to prepare individuals and businesses to compete successfully in world markets."

Céleste Burnie, Senior Coordinator, Education and Certification at FITT, and Scott Ferris, CITP and Director Business Development at FITT travelled from Ottawa to explain the Certified International Trade Professional designation (CITP). They also provided information about FITT memberships, Harvard Management Mentor training and other FITT benefits.

Students who graduate from the ITB program earn an Ontario College Certificate in International Business and a FITT Diploma in International Trade. If successful on the educational criteria, students can subsequently earn the CITP designation by working for one year in international trade, be it in the private, public or non-profit sector. The CITP designation also requires a commitment to ethical behaviour, professional development and membership fees.

Later in the day, FITT hosted a regional networking event at the London Hilton. This was a collaborative partnership with FITT Strategic Partners, Scotiabank and Export Development Canada (EDC). It was an opportunity to network with international trade experts from the public, private and educational sectors.

George Nickolaou, Senior Manager, Trade Finance, Global Transaction Banking, Scotiabank provided a keynote address on economic conditions and Canada's international trade prospects.

Professor Murray Morgan, coordinator of the ITB program introduced Mary Pierce, Chair of the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business and David Belford, Dean, Faculty of Business. Morgan thanked the evening's sponsors, Scotiabank and EDC and acknowledged the support of NerdsOnSite. Fanshawe Distinguished Alumnus, John Harbarenko and Nerds CEO Charlie Regan were also in attendance.

Several ITB students volunteered at the FITT event. The registration desk was staffed by Amber Carey, a University of Western Ontario graduate from the Bahamas and Tatsiana Astashka, an international student from Belarus with experience in international software development who speaks Russian, English and Swedish.

Also volunteering were two international students from Mexico, Lisbeth Munguia Samperio - a female industrial engineer with experience in Operations Management and Juan Carlos Hamed who earned a BA in International Trade, and a Masters in Marketing and worked with Siemens and P & G.

Karthik Balakrishnan and several other international students from India helped with last minute set-up details.

Fanshawe's partnership with FITT provides many benefits to the College's International Business Management students, including the opportunity to obtain two educational credentials and access to information and resources from the leading international trade association. Fanshawe's ITB students are well on their way to becoming global business leaders.