The Institute recently launched its first ever education programme designed specifically for school age students, rather than those already in the world of work. Aimed at key stage 4 pupils and beyond, this programme has been designed to enable students to understand the fundamental principles of International trade, and to help them decide whether or not they may ultimately wish to work in a trade related environment.

 

The course comprises 7 compulsory and 2 optional modules, each of which examines a different aspect of international trade. It is structured so that, throughout the modules, students can research companies, countries and industries that particularly interest them.

 

Theory is related closely to practice, and students are encouraged to research both large multi-national companies as well as smaller more locally based ones. Guest speakers from the world of business, import/export and International Banking are used to ensure that the learning material is always up to date and related closely to what happens in the 'real world'.

 

The course includes a detailed look at the potential advantages and disadvantages of importing and exporting, sessions on foreign currencies and foreign exchange, a review of markets and marketing and an overview of logistics and transport. Students learn how companies can use imports and/or exports to enhance their product range and profitability, and examine how international trade fits into a company’s structure. There is also the opportunity to examine the cultural and ethical issues encountered when trading with foreign countries.

 

Modules incorporate a degree of inbuilt flexibility, enabling them to be adapted to meet the needs of different student groups in different locations. The diversity of the subjects covered ensures that the student is exposed to a range of socio-economic, geographic, linguistic and business skills.

 

The programme meets many of the Economic and Business Understanding objectives of the government’s Enterprise Education initiative, and has also generated a great deal of interest from language teachers, keen to link the learning of a foreign language to  business related topics. YIT’s flexibility means that it can either be run as a stand alone programme or, alternatively, it can be integrated into existing mainstream subjects such as geography, languages, economics, business and general  studies.

 

The Institute of Export has launched the Young International Trader programme at a time when ever increasing importance is being placed on enterprise and vocational based training. The overall purpose of YIT is to give students a thorough grounding of the key principals involved in International Trade, and ultimately  to provide potential employers with a better trained work force. However, all students completing the programme will benefit from an increased understanding of the world around them, and an appreciation of how the clothes they are wearing and the food they are eating has arrived in their local shops.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the Young International Trader programme, or have links with any schools that you think may be interested in taking YIT, please contact Jakki Duffy who will be able to provide you with further details and can arrange for someone to discuss the programme with the school in more detail, should this be appropriate .

To download the YIT flyer please click here