The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation helps more than 820 Spanish SMEs explore external markets with the First Export Programme
This week, Spanish and Argentine business owners took a foreign trade course at the UPF Barcelona School of Management, with grants from the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation. The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Argentina recognises the work of the First Export Programme.
The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation provides support for more than 820 Spanish small and medium companies in their plans to develop external markets, through its First Export Programme. The First Export Programme began in 2001 in Argentina, has just marked its first anniversary in Spain and will soon be introduced by GAS NATURAL FENOSA's subsidiary in Mexico. The project focuses on accompanying SMEs as they take their first steps in exporting anywhere in the world, with a complete, continuous training plan, free of charge, including classroom-based and online training sessions, advice and personalised tutorials.
This week, the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation provided two courses in Madrid and Barcelona as part of the First Export Programme. Entitled ‘Finding an agent or importer: search, identification and negotiation’ the seminars dealt with finding the right partner within the overall export process, the appropriate financial instruments for ongoing relationships with agents, distributors and importers, and related subjects.
More than 100 companies took part in Seminars, which were also attended by Director of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation Martí Solà, and General Director of Business Internationalisation at ICEX Isaac Martín Barbero, in Madrid, as well as Managing Director of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation Xavier Carbonell.
Training grants
The main initiatives of the First Export Programme include grants for training on foreign trade, provided by the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation. This programme has given thirty companies, 15 in Spain and 15 in Argentina, the opportunity to take graduate-level course at the Barcelona School of Management, part of the Pompeu Fabra University's Institute of Continuous Education.
The Foundation has also organised meetings with the 15 Spanish and 15 Argentinian entrepreneurs who are taking part in the postgraduate course to promote exchanges and trade agreements between them and to drive forward the international expansion processes of their SMEs. This is the ninth edition of the Skill and Business Building trip bringing Argentine business owners to Spain, as part of the First Export Programme in Argentina, with the participation of 195 business owners to date.
CECRA award
The training and business week will conclude this Friday with the participation of the Deputy Consul of the Republic of Argentina in Barcelona, Marina Ripari, GAS NATURAL FENOSA's General Manager for Latin America, Sergio Aranda, the Director of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, Martí Solà, the Director of the Barcelona School of Management, Carme Martinell GAS NATURAL FENOSA's Head of Communication in Argentina, Bettina Llapur, the Director of the First Export Programme in Argentina, Pablo Furnari, and the programme's Director in Spain, Emilio Segura.
During the closing ceremony of the course, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Republic of Argentina (CECRA) will recognise the work of the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation's First Export Programme with an award. The Executive Director of CECRA, Guillermo Stork, will present the award recognising the achievements of the First Export Programme, created 14 years ago in Argentina, which has provided training in foreign trade for over 25,000 companies and enabled 1,200 SMEs in Argentina to become exporters.
The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation
The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation, founded in 1992, targets its activity at the promotion of information, training and increased social awareness on improving energy efficiency and technological innovation in the field of energy while respecting and protecting the environment, and promotes cultural activities through the Gas Museum aimed at preserving and spreading knowledge about the historical and cultural heritage of the sector. Its international operations take place in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Moldova and South Africa.
BARCELONA (SPAIN), 1 OCT 2015
Communication
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