In September the Institute of Export & International Trade will be attending the Public Forum at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.

The Institute, represented by Director General Lesley Batchelor and Young President Arne Mielken, will be presenting a session on the 26th on ‘Learning International Trade: How formal qualifications help us reap the benefits of global trade’. The session aims to explore how a proper education can instil employees in trade with the right methodologies and skills to help their employers grow internationally. 

The Institute will present on why career planning and development are essential for international trade, discussing the benefits of this from the perspectives of businesses, employees and the national economy as a whole. It will discuss the potential impact on business growth, trade compliance and trade opportunities that professional qualifications will have, and also explore the availability of such qualifications around the world.

The session is part of the annual outreach forum held by the WTO in Geneva, this year taking place on 26-28 September. This year’s forum is titled ‘Trade – Behind the Headlines’ and is looking to offer attendees the opportunity to ‘go beyond the rhetoric and examine in detail the realities of trade’. It presents itself as a ‘platform for frank discussions among policy makers, civil society representatives, business people and researchers’.

Arne Mielken, Young President of the IOE&IT, has said: 

“As we leave the European Union, it is important that we reach out to the global trade world and forge important ties. By presenting our agenda at forums like the Public Forum at the WTO, we are well placed to do this.”

The forum regularly attracts over 1500 representatives from business, media, government and academia among others, and represents a key moment in global trade each year. This year’s forum has taken on extra pertinence following the UK’s vote to leave the EU in 2016 and the rise of protectionist rhetoric in world politics, most notably in the USA following Donald Trump’s election as President.

The Institute is honoured to have been invited to present its findings to the forum regarding the role that professional qualifications have to play in making the global trading arena more attractive for high-skilled talent and more efficient for businesses.

Please get in touch with us if you have any thoughts or opinions that you'd like us to share with the forum on your behalf.

More info:

https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum_e/public_forum_e.htm

https://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum17_e/public_forum17_e.htm