Fit for Partnership with Germany

Fit for Partnership
with Germany
The German Economics Ministry’s Training
Programme for Managers from Foreign Companies
Fit for Partnership
with Germany
The Economics Ministry’s Manager Training Programme
is an element of Germany’s policies to promote foreign
trade and investment. Entitled “Fit for Partnership with
Germany”, it prepares managers from Eastern Europe,
Central Asia and Asia to do business and co-operate with
German firms – bringing success for both sides.
In total, more than 7,000 foreign companies have participated in the programme so far, sending managers for
training in Germany. On average, a group of 20 foreign
managers reaches more than 60 German firms, most of
them small or medium-sized.
Skills and contacts
If the programme is to work well, it needs to strike the
right blend between imparting skills and providing insights
into how German companies function. Interactive training
courses are provided to familiarise the participants with
the idiosyncrasies of German business culture, to improve
the way they present themselves as business people, and to
brush up their negotiating techniques.
Visits to companies from different sectors provide practical
examples from the German business world. The participants
gain first-hand practical expertise and learn on the spot
about state-of-the-art technology and equipment. And of
course they can establish contact with potential business
partners.
The programme thus offers benefits to everyone involved:
foreign firms can find business partners in Germany, and
German firms gain access to upcoming markets: a win-win
situation.
A long-standing success story
The results generated by the programme are impressive
and bear witness to the commercial benefits of the programme, both for the participating German firms and for
the foreign companies. The volume of trade in goods and
services which has been generated by the training periods
in Germany is far greater than the amount of taxpayers’
money invested by Germany.
Another benefit: The period spent in Germany creates
lasting contacts and helps to focus the attention of future
business elites on Germany and Europe. The companies
involved learn how to do business with German firms –
and will draw on this expertise in the long term.
The programme generates visible improvements in the
partner country. On their return from Germany, many
of the participants implement their newly acquired expertise in their own companies and improve their business
policies: they diversify their products and services, make
better use of their resources, optimise their procurement
or acquire international quality certificates. In this way,
many companies are able to boost their economic efficiency – making them attractive and reliable partners for
German firms.
Partner countries
Russia
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Belarus
Vietnam
China
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Azerbaijan
India
Moldova
Turkmenistan
Programme: “Fit for Business in Russia”
Total companies
Participating companies
(up to end of 2011)
4,538
658
323
222
215
160
135
105
103
88
108
85
79
225
7,044
New partner country from 2012: Egypt
A partnership-based approach
The Manager Training Programme takes a partnership-based
approach, and is especially popular in upcoming emerging
economies and countries in transition. It is currently operated on the basis of bilateral agreements with 14 countries,
and is to be extended to cover more countries.
The Economics Ministry has commissioned the GIZ
(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
as its agent to co-ordinate the programme. The programme
is implemented decentrally in Germany by eleven business-oriented training consortia, consisting of roughly 40
individual companies, most of them private-sector, which
qualified via a bidding process.
At present, about 800 foreign managers from an equivalent
number of companies participate in the manager training
courses each year. At the same time, several thousand firms
are involved on the German side.
International network
The programme attaches great importance to follow-up
contacts. The alumni meet in national alumni associations
to share their insights. Every year, matchmaking sessions
are held with German firms; in many countries, these are
organised in co-operation with Germany’s bilateral chambers of commerce. Also, the alumni remain available as
contacts for German firms following their return home.
Online networking site
A website has been established to network the participants, and German firms can also access it to contact the
foreign business representatives directly. Find out more
at: gc21.giz.de/mp
Fit for Business in Russia
In response to the interest displayed by German firms,
a training course in Russia has also been offered for
German managers since 2006. Under the “Fit for Business
in Russia” programme, the Russian government invites
German managers to visit upcoming business regions –
from Kaliningrad to the Far East of the country. The programme aims to initiate business and to open the door
to the Russian market. Some 225 German firms have
benefited so far and have trained up staff members to
become “Russia specialists”.
Imprint
Publisher
Federal Ministry of Economics
and Technology (BMWi)
Public Relations
D-11019 Berlin, Germany
[email protected]
www.bmwi.de
Kontaktadresse
Federal Ministry of Economics
and Technology (BMWi)
Division EB6
Scharnhorststr. 34 – 37
10115 Berlin, Germany
The Federal Ministry of Economics and
Technology was awarded the audit
berufundfamilie® for its family-friendly
staff policy. The certificate is conferred by
the berufundfamilie gGmbH, an initiative
of the non-profit Hertie Foundation.
Tel.: +49 30 18 615-6093
Fax: +49 30 18 615-5376
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.bmwi.de
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
GmbH
Manager Training Programme
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40
53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: +49 228 4460-1227
Fax: +49 228 4460-1333
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: gc21.giz.de/mp
Status
April 2012
Print
Silber Druck oHG, Niestetal
Design and production
PRpetuum GmbH, Munich
Images
GIZ, Bundesregierung
(Bundesbildstelle)
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