HELPING SBDC DIRECTORS DEVELOP INTERNATIONAL TRADE PROGRAMS
Director-TrainingSan Antonio, November 17, 2014 – The International Trade Center, an SBDC at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development, announced today that through it’s SBDCGlobal program it has completed the third annual Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Director Trade Certification Series.
The SBDC Director Trade Certification Series is a 6 module, online training program aimed at existing SBDC Directors who are looking to expand their center’s capacity and enter the international trade advising market. UTSA International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes, and Senior International Business Advisor Alberto Rodriguez-Baez teach the training program.
“We created this training based on the work we do as a successful International Trade Center and in examining our own operational and strategic plans,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center who leads most of the training. “We found that there wasn’t a lot of existing training material for developing International Trade SBDCs, so we created this series to help other SBDCs. Not only do we get to help other SBDCs with their missions, each time we do the training we get a chance to review our own operations and find places to improve and grow.”
“I am very glad that I signed up for the Director Certification Series,” said George Atchley, Export Business Coach at the Idaho Small Business Development Center, who attended the 2013 series. “I found it to be a very comprehensive and understandable program and provided ‘real world’ value and guidance for a growing International Trade Center such as ours. I know that we will be using much of what was presented as we go forward.”
Since the series was launched in 2012, 155 participants at 112 SBDCs in 39 States have successfully completed the training. In the coming months, the UTSA International Trade Center will be offering their companion training for SBDC Advisors, the SBDC Trade Advisor Certification Series. For more information on SBDCGlobal visit http://www.SBDCGlobal.com.
The International Trade Center at UTSA is one of the largest and most successful trade assistance organizations in Texas. It helps companies become globally competitive through technical trade consulting, customized market research and innovative training programs. The center is a specialty SBDC program in the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network. Follow them on Twitter (@TexasTrade) and like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/texastrade).
