November 10, 2004 Happy Valle-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador Local businesses looking to sharpen their international marketing skills will be able to take advantage of two workshops being offered through the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce in the coming months. The courses, "International Market Entry and Distribution" and "International Marketing," are part of the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) program, and build on the "Global Entrepreneurship" course held in Happy Valley- Goose Bay in March. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is providing $24,200 towards the initiative. "Export market development is important to business growth and having the right tools and information is essential. This initiative supports the need for export skills development, and will help companies in this region to develop strategies for marketing their products and services internationally," said MP Lawrence O'Brien, on behalf of ACOA. In addition to the FITT initiative, the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce has also undertaken successful projects such as NorthLink, which connects chambers of commerce in Canada's northern regions, and other circumpolar nations. NorthLink was established last year to strengthen northern Canadian business networks, and is focused on international trade, commercial partnerships and international business training. "We are pleased to be continuing with the FITT curriculum of international business courses, which supports the needs of our members and the Central Labrador business community as a whole," said Brian Fowlow, executive director and NorthLink project director, Labrador North Chamber of Commerce. "Our goal by offering these training opportunities is to give local entrepreneurs a global business perspective while stimulating their interest in exploring international markets for their products and services, especially those markets located in circumpolar regions. FITT complements the work we are doing through the NorthLink project by helping area businesses become more export focused." FITT is a national not-for-profit organization that provides internationally-recognized courses in international trade. There are eight courses in the Going Global series, which can be delivered as a series or individually, and focus on the practical aspects of international business, such as logistics, trade finance and international management techniques. The "International Market Entry and Distribution" workshop will help exporters to understand and manage product distribution. Specific topics may include defining strategic needs, barriers to entry and partnering with foreign agents and distributors. The "International Marketing" course will provide training on export requirements from a marketing management perspective with an emphasis on areas such as the principles of marketing, domestic versus international marketing and market research. This initiative was funded under ACOA's Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (ATIP), a $54-million comprehensive strategy to strengthen the export performance of the Atlantic region and to increase foreign direct investment. FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY: The Labrador North Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Atlantic Canada World Trade Centre and the Forum for International Trade Training, will offer local companies two export workshops in the coming months: "International Market Entry and Distribution" and "International Marketing." The courses will build on the "Global Entrepreneurship" training held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in March. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is providing $24,200 towards the initiative. - 30 - Valérie Poulin Director of Communications Office of the Honourable Joseph McGuire Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (613) 941-7241 Doug Burgess Director, Public Affairs ACOA (709) 772-2935 Brian Fowlow Executive Director/ NorthLink Project Director Labrador North Chamber of Commerce (709) 896-8787
