ESCAP
United Nations network of experts for paperless trade and transport in Asia and the Pacific
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Launched in 2014, ITC’s E-learning Programme and its platform (the SME Trade Academy) offer practical offline and online courses, workshops and learning material to support skills development for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and trade advisors in both the public and private sectors. The programme is a major component of ITC’s trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) offering.
Covering a wide range of trade-related topics, the SME Trade Academy delivers e-learning courses of relevance to e-commerce and the digital economy, including:
The learning process includes scheduled course start and end dates, a well-defined enrolment process, minimum profile information, rules of engagement, a tutoring process, learner management strategies and clear certification requirements. The majority of courses are available free of charge.
To discover the full range of courses offered and for further information, visit the SME Trade Academy platform
To learn about ITC’s approach to e-commerce for SMEs, visit the E-Solutions Programme
The SME Trade Academy offers access to a series of pragmatic, topical, online courses and educational material on trade-related topics, supporting skill development of staff in trade support institutions, enterprises (particularly SMEs) and trade policy specialists.
The SME Trade Academy engages with participants from all around the world and with a variety of backgrounds, including: entrepreneurs, SMEs, Trade Support Institutions, and government officials. Taking into account these diverse groups, SME Trade Academy courses are designed, developed and delivered following a three-step pedagogical approach:
The three steps are reflected in the learning activities employed by the courses, which include lectures for knowledge and understanding, case study exercises for analysis and application, as well as forum tasks, readiness assessments, assignments and course evaluations for synthesis and evaluation.
The courses can be used as learning supplements to augment the effectiveness of offline training/workshops, for example by serving as pre-workshop events in which participants are taught important concepts (ensuring that they have already reached a certain uniform level of knowledge prior to their offline training). This allows organizers to shift focus away from simply teaching content and towards problem solving, question and answer sessions, and/or action planning sessions.
Much of ITC’s work helps build capacity, either through training or advisory services. The SME Trade Academy fits within this framework by offering online courses, free of charge, to participants at introductory and advanced levels.
Quality in technical assistance is central for ITC. Key features of ITC’s offline technical assistance offering were adapted to ensure the quality expected by beneficiaries is maintained in the online learning environment. Thus, all SME Trade Academy courses are:
The SME Trade Academy provides consultancy services to assist in workshop and presentation design, targeted deployment of online learning courses as support for offline activities, and tools to facilitate the monitoring and reporting of project impact. Based on the platform, trade academies have been rolled out at national levels in support of local institutions and their sustainability.
The SME Trade Academy can support institutional TRTA in the following ways:
Offering related data
In the context of e-commerce’s increasing relevance in international trade, this joint course by ITC and Diplo Foundation is designed to help participants better understand the multifaceted concept of e-commerce, the opportunities it offers to SMEs, and the steps necessary to create an enabling environment allowing for a greater uptake of e-commerce by both businesses and consumers. This course aims to assist participants in identifying the key components of competitiveness from a business perspective across the e-commerce process chain, from establishing a business online, to international e-payment, cross-border delivery and aftersales.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
This course introduces participants to the different aspects of competitiveness in trade in services, with the aim of identifying specific actions to enhance it. The course lectures cover the importance of trade in services for a country’s economy from a developmental perspective, the framework for assessing competitiveness in trade in services, and finally the role which Trade and Investment Support Institutions (TISIs) can play in supporting small and medium service enterprises through policy advocacy, sector development and capacity building. Particular focus is placed on value chains, as well as on the role of digital technology for trade in services.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
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Focusing on situations of developing and least-developed countries, this course introduces the particularities of service exporters, their financial needs at various stages of growth, as well as the various obstacles which they face in accessing adequate financing. Going beyond “traditional” financing methods, it explores a variety of innovative service financing options and digital payment solutions, such as crowdfunding, business incubators and the expanding uses of mobile money technology.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
To learn more and sign-up for the course
Myanmar
Nigeria
Kenya
Ethiopia
Zimbabwe
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