Community and Business Partnership Opportunities
The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College
Win/Win Proposition
This partnership proposition represents a true win/win proposition for your company, for our students, for Fanshawe College and for London. The greatest investment we can make is the investment in human capital, because that is one of the few investments that is absolutely guaranteed to appreciate with time, and there is no cost to the partnering companies.
The International Business Management (ITB) Program
The ITB Program seeks to increase the opportunities to connect students with firms or organizations involved in international business. It is a post-graduate certificate program and requires a university degree or a college diploma to be admitted. Typically, we have students from China, South America, the Caribbean, India, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and, of course, Canada. Many have interesting work experience in various industries and many of the Canadian residents have contacts in other countries.
Business Linkages
We have built connections with many local businesses that import from and export to a variety of international markets. During the two semesters that students spend with us, they are exposed to a variety of guest speakers and international business executives. Our hope is to create both learning and work opportunities for students while they are doing large and small projects for London area companies interested in entering the global marketplace.
Opportunities for Business
As part of the program students also gain the skills that allow them to meet the criteria required to obtain an external certification from the Forum for International Trade Training, (FITT) www.fitt.ca. FITT is an international recognized training program certification that provides students with the core competencies they need to succeed in international business.
Students are ready, capable and willing to undertake projects for companies that are considering getting involved in international trade. These can be feasibility projects, market research projects, supply chain projects, regulatory requirements projects and more. The ideal company is one that is interested in international business, exporting or importing, either a good or service, but has limited time and resources. Our students can find the answers to the very basic questions that you want to ask, such as:
- Is there a market for my product or service?
- How big is the market and who are the major competitors?
- What are the steps and barriers to entering that market? What is the first step?
- Are there any special regulations or rules that would apply to my product or service?
- Should I outsource some of my operations and lower my costs with imported goods or services?
- What are the financial implications in terms of cost, freight, insurance, taxes, etc.?
Student Internship Opportunities Available in 2012
Working with local companies provides enormous benefits for our students as well. The majority of students are international students who have come to Canada to learn and work. By working with real companies on real issues, they develop their critical skills. Quite often, the students use their personal networks in their home countries to introduce new opportunities to the companies they work with.
Students are also looking for internship opportunities and/or employment. Developing closer ties with local companies is one more step to finding that meaningful experience. Is your business involved in importing, exporting, trade-related services or part of the transportation sector? Need an extra hand? Are you overworked on certain projects? Do you have back burner projects that never seem to make it to the top of the pile? If so, you may want to consider a Fanshawe College international business student internship.
How it Works
Interested companies meet with the Program Coordinator, Albert Knab, and/or one of the Professors to discuss the size and type of international project the company would like to do. There is no cost to the partner company. If the project is viable, and can provide both a valuable learning experience and valuable information for the company, then we proceed to develop a project plan. The Professor will act as the primary liaison and facilitator with the company to ensure quality, privacy and minimal disruption to the company’s normal operations. Every project will be carefully monitored, and project results will be kept confidential.
We look forward to working with you. To get involved, or if you have questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience at (519)452-4430 x4374 or by email aknab@fanshawec.ca .
Kindest Regards,
Albert Knab, B.A., M.A.,
Coordinator - International Business Management Program,
Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College
www.fanshawec.ca\kinlin
http://www.fanshawec.ca/programs-courses/full-time-programs/itb1
