FITT Class: Professional Development Opportunity for Students

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Previous FITT students with instructor Brian Newberry (center)

Outside of academic programs and classes, students are discovering a wealth of available professional development opportunities supported by the university that serve to enhance skills and build their resumes. The Forum for International Trade Training is one such opportunity made available by the World Trade Center Arkansas in Rogers and the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Through eight classes offered over the course of 12 months, FITT equips individuals and businesses with the practical skills they need to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace.

The course of study includes:

• Global Business Environment
• International Trade Management
• International Trade Research
• Global Market Entry Strategies
• Legal Aspects of International Trade
• Global Supply Chain Management
• International Marketing
• International Trade Finance

Each course has an optional exam. Upon successful completion of all eight courses and the accompanying exams, students will receive a FITT Diploma and the widely recognized FITT International Business Professional designation. However, other resume-enhancing participation options are available. The completion of four courses and the corresponding exams results in an International Business Trade Certificate from FITT. In addition, a Certificate of Attendance is given from the World Trade Center Arkansas and the Walton College Global Engagement Office for attending one complete class.

The regular price of attendance is $100 per class, with an additional fee of $100 per exam. However, World Trade Center Arkansas and the Walton College have collaborated to make this opportunity more available for business students’ limited time and budget. The Global Engagement Office of Walton College provides funding on a per class basis, reducing the costs that Walton students pay to $25 per class and $50 per accompanying exam. 

FITT classes are offered throughout the year at the World Trade Center Arkansas in Rogers (located next to the U of A Global Campus), usually on Saturdays, 8 AM to 4 PM.  For those interested in completing all eight exams, rentals and purchases of  recommended textbooks are available through WTC Arkansas.

Cathy Klein, a certified public accountant and FITT student who has taken seven out of eight of the FITT courses and will soon receive her International Business Professional designation, said that each and every course has been applicable to real life work situations. “International trade is present even in small towns,” Cathy said, recalling that many small businesses in her area of Carroll County are involved in exporting. “Whether it was international marketing or the legal aspects of international trade, FITT has helped me gain a working knowledge of the complex international trade process.”

The World Trade Center Arkansas is currently the only World Trade Center location in the U.S. offering FITT classes. The next available class, Global Market Entry Strategies, is to be held Nov. 5. The class will be taught by Brian Newberry, a senior manager of trade strategy in the global sourcing department of Wal-Mart. Brian is also a licensed attorney in Arkansas and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2005.

For more information about FITT, visit their website at http://www.fitt.ca/home.htm.

To register for the class, Walton College Students should contact:

Susan E. Anders, assistant to the directors
Global Engagement Office
343 Walton College of Business
1 University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201
479-575-4765

For non-Walton students, contact:

Laura James, program director
World Trade Center Arkansas
479-418-4803
ljames@uark.edu