TEPA and ITC also score high marks for quality and utility of instruction.
PRESS RELEASE – Nineteen people from government agencies, trade and investment support institutions, business associations and the private sector made it to the finish line of a six-week eCourse on Market Analysis and Research organized by the Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
Of that number, eighteen successfully completed the programme with a final assessment grade of 70% or above. Participants gave the training high marks for quality, utility and relevance to their work. Four of those who successfully completed the course are technical officers of TEPA.
The eCourse was designed by ITC’s Trade and Market Intelligence (TMI) section and delivered by ITC personnel. This training opportunity was initiated by TEPA to equip trade, marketing and business personnel to analyze trends in the export market, recognize export opportunities and be proactive in their response.
This was achieved through four intensive weeks of video lectures, practical exercises based on Saint Lucia’s data, short quizzes and a two-week final assignment. The practical exercises introduced participants to various ITC tools and provided exercises to practice. The final assessment activity provided the opportunity for learners to demonstrate their mastery of these tools as well as their analytical skills in developing their own analysis.
The eCourse, which ran from May 22-June 30, 2017, initially attracted 34 registrations. Twenty-two participants entered the final evaluation phase, which was mandatory for award of the certificate. However, nineteen successfully completed the final assessment within the allotted two-weeks.
Participant dropout is a major risk for the online mode of delivery for training as it is difficult to keep up motivation and interest. Nonetheless, this eCourse managed to keep the motivation and engagement of active participants during the whole delivery period.
The eCourse is another work plan implementation milestone of National Export Strategy (NES). It follows a number of similarly focused interventions by TEPA to the trade sector, with leadership and facilitation by the ITC.
Director of TEPA, Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood, described the outcome of the programme as “gratifying”. She said these areas of competence “call for continuously learning as export marketing is not a strict science in some respects. Things change quickly in the market and in the regulatory environment.”
She noted that TEPA was “very happy” with the level of interest the course attracted from the outset because it gave a good gauge of general interest in that kind of capacity building from trade and business support agencies, private consultants and businesses.