| June 2010: Healthcare |

Disseminating science, research and technology

| 2013 |

ITM WORLDWIDE

Hasse Karlsson is at the forefront of efforts to offer novel, world-class training to talented university graduates. Here, he talks about his successes so far and his vision for developing the work further

What does your role as President of the International Trade Management (ITM) Worldwide Foundation entail?

My overall role as President is to make the recognised global leader in trade management training for SMEs. The ITM Worldwide brand should have a stamp of quality and be ’top of mind’ among exporting companies worldwide. The operational role is to create partnerships with trade organisations worldwide and to offer the the ITM Worldwide Concept to them.

How would you sum up the ITM Worldwide Concept? How has the idea advanced since its establishment?

The ITM Worldwide Concept is a vocational training programme in trade which is designed to build export competence within SMEs, providing the expertise, knowledge and networks needed to help businesses grow internationally. Working with some of Europe’s most renowned and distinguished professors and trade experts, we are able to offer a unique blend of academic and practical training. Our export coaches, all of whom are

experienced business people, turn theoretical knowledge into a practical export business plan, and prepare participants for meeting potential customers. Trainees qualify for the International Association of Trade Training Organisations’ (IATTO) certified Diploma in International Trade Management, opening the possibility of applying for the IATTO professional designation as a World Trade Professional (WTP). The Diploma also gives access to the ITM Worldwide Alumni Network for lifelong learning and global career and business opportunities.

What are the different stages of the Concept?

The Concept has three clear steps: preparing for export, preparing for the market and business meetings. The first step comprises seminars in international market research and export sales training, followed by export coaching. This results in the creation and implementation of an export business plan within the SME. The second step consists of joint international seminars where, together with participants from other countries, the network of colleagues can be enlarged. Seminars on cross-culture, managing change and international trade marketing are delivered in order to implement a strategy. The third and final step encompasses business meetings, and involves study visits and individual meetings with potential customers abroad, resulting in exportation.

Could you pinpoint your own and the Foundation’s proudest achievement to date?

Since the ITM Worldwide Concept was launched in 2007, we are proud to have trained over 1,000 participants in Sweden and almost 500 export trainees and managers in 27 other countries across Europe, the Caribbean and in South Africa, in partnership with trade organisations. We now have a proven concept across three continents.

Would it be possible for you to describe a case study in which a trainee programme has been successfully instigated in a small company?

Certainly. Jonas Kewenter, 48, who participated in the Export Trainee programme for six months in 1997 is a prime example. Three months into his trainee period, Jonas was appointed MD of the company BS Elcontrol AB which is located in the Gothenburg region of Sweden. Since then, the company has expanded from a turnover of SEK 15 million-56 million, the number of employees has increased from 12-40 and their exports have grown from 0-45 per cent. In 2007, a subsidiary was founded in Lithuania, and a year later Jonas and a colleague took the opportunity to buy the company when the founder decided to retire.

To conclude, what is the predicted impact of the MBA course that ITM Worldwide is preparing to offer?

Traditional Executive MBAs are primarily focused on business management, ie. how to manage a company. Knowledge of how to conduct international trade and how to create global networks of experts and customers, however, is something quite different. We want to combine these two approaches into a Master’s in Business and Trade for SMEs. This will feature collaboration with SME participants from smaller and developing countries; one-week modules in new markets such as Russia, China, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America; a mix of seminars and company visits to experience the market; mentoring from professors with trade experiences from the best business schools together with local professors and trade experts; and a faculty which includes experts from the World Trade Organization, International Trade Centre and the World Bank.

International trade training

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INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION

Boosting international tradeThe ITM Worldwide Foundation based in Lidköping, Sweden is carrying out groundbreaking work to support SMEs to trade across national boundaries, providing a vital boon for the global economy

THE ONGOING GROWTH and success of SMEs is crucial to the health of the global economy. As economic and trade barriers continue to dissipate and the world’s economy becomes increasingly globalised, the ability of SMEs to flourish is ever more dependent on their capacity to operate internationally. This is also an area of particular strategic importance to smaller countries with a limited home market, whose economies rely heavily on international exports. However, in order for SMEs to operate across national borders, they require access to appropriately trained and qualified staff. This can often be the biggest obstacle to their growth.

Despite the increasing importance of SMEs to national and global economic stability, paradoxically, over the last decade trade councils around the world have been withdrawing funding from, closing down and outsourcing their international trade training programmes. In response, the International Trade Management (ITM) Worldwide Foundation has developed a novel concept to trade training in an attempt to meet the growing demand for an approach which can serve companies irrespective of their nationality. The Foundation, led by President and founder Hasse Karlsson, is hoping that this pioneering approach can not only make them a recognised global leader, but succeed in training a new generation of business leaders to revitalise the growth of SMEs across the globe.

THE ITM WORLDWIDE CONCEPT

Given that SMEs are often without a recognisable name or brand, many – particularly those in rural areas – struggle to attract talented

graduates from prestigious city universities. In order to tackle this problem, the ITM Worldwide Concept was developed five years ago with sponsorship from the EU, and in collaboration with trade councils, SMEs and export managers in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and Lithuania.

Under Karlsson’s leadership, the organisation has established a number of basic principles which have been central to its ongoing success. Most notably, training provided should be transparent, identical and of a consistently high standard wherever it takes place. The teaching staff are drawn from a variety of countries in order that a range of perspectives and experiences is incorporated into the training, and every lecturer involved can demonstrate a proven track record and relevant business acumen.

In order for trainees to become the next generation of SME managers, participants in the project must have a university degree, and Karlsson is also committed to the principle that everyone should study abroad for a period of their training. This allows them to build up an international network of colleagues, professional contacts and potential customers. Trainees also work closely with export coaches who are able to assist them in both appreciating and bridging the gap between theory and practice. “A combination of trade seminars, export coaching and new business contacts aimed at laying the foundations of a plan of action for every individual company involved is the cornerstones of the ITM Worldwide Concept,” explains Karlsson. Through its commitment to these methods and principles, the ITM Worldwide Concept has distinguished itself as a leading trade training programme.

VITTI

Alongside this work, Karlsson and ITM Worldwide are also engaged in a groundbreaking project aimed at extending the ITM Worldwide Concept into four new EU countries. Entitled Vocational International Trade Training Implementation (VITTI), the initiative will see new trainees being partnered with SMEs in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Romania. Karlsson elaborates: “We aim to make SMEs in these countries aware of the importance of international trade training and networks, and simultaneously work with trade organisations to extend their portfolios to include additional high quality training”. As part of this work, SME export managers and representatives from trade organisations will be directly involved in delivering training and evaluating the ITM Worldwide Concept.

In order for VITTI to deliver training of the

HASSE KARLSSON

WWW.RESEARCHMEDIA.EU

INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION

ITM WORLDWIDE

VITTI

IATTO

OBJECTIVES

management programme designed to build export competence within SMEs

international vocational trade training programme – the ITM Worldwide Concept – in four new countries in Europe

international trade training and networking, and sets the quality standard of trade training organisations and programmes

KEY COLLABORATORS

Professor Albert A Angehrn, Center for Advanced Learning Technologies, INSEAD, France

Dr Fons Trompenaars, Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, The Netherlands

Professor Per V Jenster, Nordic International Management Institute, Chengdu/Xindu, China

FUNDING

CONTACT

Hasse Karlsson Founder and President, ITM Worldwide

ITM Worldwide Foundation Fabriksgatan 4 SE-531 30 Lidköping Sweden

T +46 708 83 85 86 E hasse.karlsson@itmworldwide.se

www.itmworldwide.org

www.vittifirst.org

www.iatto.org

HASSE KARLSSON has occupied the position of President and Founder of the ITM Worldwide Foundation since 2008. He is also the Chairman of IATTO and founder of Alpha Experiences AB focusing on change management. Karlsson has 30 years of experience working for the Swedish Trade Council, having been responsible for multi-international projects in the area of trade training and HR management.

highest possible quality, the experiences and insights of partners in countries where the concept is already in operation, such as Sweden, Estonia and Slovenia, will also be incorporated. Karlsson and his colleagues hope that their efforts on the VITTI project will result in a long-term and sustainable relationship between ITM Worldwide and individual trade organisations in each country, enabling them to collaborate effectively in the future to offer high quality international trade training to a wide range of SMEs. As part of this process, the trainees will be exposed to networking opportunities, and will have the chance to improve both their language and social skills, as well as their cultural understanding. Karlsson concludes: “The factual knowledge and various skills which the participants will acquire through our unique training methods will create an overall stamp of international quality, asserting their ability to conduct international trade”.

IATTO

In addition to his work with ITM Worldwide, Karlsson is also the elected chairman of the International Association of Trade Training Organisations (IATTO), an internationally respected body which provides international trade training organisations with an accreditation, certification and professional designation system. The criteria for accreditation and certification are rigorous, ensuring an extremely high standard of training. Organisations must be recognised by their national authorities, provide exceptional trade training programmes, employ qualified lecturers to deliver the training and have appropriate assessment techniques in place. If they meet these conditions, they can offer employees the opportunity to qualify with a choice of three titles: Certificate, Advanced Certificate or Diploma.

Upon completion of a Diploma, and providing they commit to the IATTO Code of Conduct, have two years’ experience in international trade management and agree to take part

in continuing professional development, participants may apply for the title of World Trade Professional. “A professional designation gives you a professional identity and recognition among colleagues and employers; the more export personnel who hold an IATTO-certified Diploma, the bigger the community of World Trade Professionals will become,” Karlsson expounds.

IATTO also offers its members the chance to attend an annual forum which looks into global trends and trade management practices, at which government representatives, trade organisations, export companies, professors and trade training experts are all present. This is a significant part of the organisation’s overall aim of encouraging and facilitating cross-border collaborations between participating IATTO members worldwide.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Karlsson believes that continued growth in the number of accredited World Trade Professionals will eventually result in the establishment of the term alongside others such as doctor, lawyer, teacher or journalist. For this to become a reality, however, he acknowledges that the Foundation must be supported in a differant way: “Every programme is a temporary project, and this is not sustainable”. Karlsson hopes that, with more consistent financial support and collaborations with each country of around three to five years at a time, ITM Worldwide can make even greater headway in its bid to rejuvenate the global economy.

INTELLIGENCE