The ITS Accreditation

Why I want you to become an International Trade Specialist?

If I was to say that I have always been interested in international trade that would be quite an untruth – in fact, it would be a downright lie!

For me, international trade conjures up images of mountains of paperwork, bureaucracy, paying money for services that I don’t understand and dealing with “nitty-gritty” problems each day. So to be fair and honest, the words “international trade” do very little for my energy or motivation.

However, I have always been interested in places, knowledge, friendship and the spark that comes from interacting with exciting intelligent people with different cultural and professional backgrounds, people who are willing to learn, people who are willing to share.

People, places, knowledge, interaction, intelligence, learning, sharing and of course excitement – that is what the ITS Accreditation is all about. Sure, we learn about documents, procedures, rules and regulations but these are like stepping stones on a career path of professional opportunity.

As Programme Coordinator for the ITS Accreditation it almost goes without saying that I will be positively biased toward the programme – but maybe this positive bias is justified. One of the very best ITS graduates, Mr. Diarmaid Kelleher sent me a bright and cheerful email after his graduation.

“Jenya, the great results achieved in the ITS Accreditation are a reflection of the high standard of tuition provided by eBSI and I greatly appreciate the practical assistance I have received in the course of my studies.”

Now, that is the kind of email a body needs for a bright start to the day on a cold, wet and windy morning, when all you hear on the radio is doom and gloom and financial crisis.

For me, it is important to help people learn, develop and advance towards achieving their personal ambitions but I also believe any programme to which a person is willing to dedicate a year of their life should lead to tangible and measurable benefits. How pleasing it is when participants provide positive feedback that demonstrates the benefits achieved.

Such a message also came from Mr. Tom Grace, who joined the ITS Accreditation as a materials planner in a medium sized multinational company in Ireland.

“Jenya, I express my sincere thanks and appreciation for eBSI support during the ITS Accreditation, the course itself was excellent and the recognition of the ITS Accreditation has had a positive and direct impact on my career.”

Tom advanced his career and is now a Foreign Trade Specialist in a major multinational IT company in Ireland and has continued to share his knowledge and help other ITS students through the lifetime access to the course related discussion forums that he and all graduates of the ITS Accreditation enjoy.

Yes, that is the kind of communication that advances your day ahead in the most positive manner – now one is ready for any challenge or opportunity!

The most interesting part of the ITS for me is the international dimension. You may have guessed that with a surname like “Zotova” that I am not from Ireland, though eBSI originated in Ireland. I am from Estonia and part of the international eBSI support team. When I realise that we have tutors or advisors from more than 20 countries and participants from more than 50 countries it makes me feel good to be part of a growing positive force in international trade and finance.

How wonderful it was to hear from our graduate Ms Olga Abikh one late afternoon; Olga is a Trade Finance officer with a bank in Kyrgyzstan.

“Jenya, the ITS Accreditation Programme was a golden opportunity to learn about International Trade. Communicating with eBSI tutors and the possibility to share opinions with fellow students meant that I really enjoyed and benefited from the learning process.”

With a message like that and others that you will see on our testimonials page, I think I can say that my daily work brings me great satisfaction and what could possibly have been better to end another exciting day at the eBSI Export Academy.

So now, you can see why I want you to become an International Trade Specialist…
– ITS obvious!