Innovative Export Leaders Program "Wings"
About this good practice
Main stages of the program:
1. Selection of participants: young people with a degree in social sciences who have completed their studies not earlier than three years ago are invited to join the program. Candidates who successfully pass the selection join the team of "Enterprise Lithuania" (EL) and become project managers.
2. Learning: Participants are helped to acquire the necessary export knowledge by their appointed mentors and employees of EL. During the program, new project managers are introduced to business and export development management, marketing, business promotion and other best practices.
3. Export diagnostics: together with the experts of the Enterprise Lithuania sector, the participants perform export diagnostics for companies. It is a methodical and long-term business practice-based consulting for companies, during which the company's export processes, level of export maturity, tools and knowledge for improvement are assessed.
4. Rotation in companies: each participant works for half a year as an export project manager in companies in promising Lithuanian export sectors. A total of three rotations take place during the program - participants gain experience in three different companies, where they take care of finding clients abroad, preparing to participate in international exhibitions, conducting market research, planning marketing actions when entering new markets.
Resources needed
600,000 Eur has been allocated for the implementation of this investment, which increases the export maturity of companies. It is estimated that the return on investment will reach 6 million. Eur.
Evidence of success
1 euro invested gave a return of 15 euros for Lithuanian exports. The „Wings“ program created a clearly measurable value for Lithuanian exports - international sales amounted to 2.8 million. EUR, and preliminary contracts were concluded for EUR 15.3 million. Eur.
2014 at the International Trade Center conference in Dubai, the Wings Program earned the title of best project in the category of developed countries and was named one of the best export initiatives in the world.
Potential for learning or transfer
Universities in cooperation with business can apply the practical tasks of companies and the experience of their implementation in their activities, and by inviting world-class export experts. On the basis of this program, it is possible to create a similar training program for sales professionals focused on SMEs, in which the essential emphasis would be on the provision of practical skills for carrying out specific projects in companies.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Public Institution “Enterprise Lithuania”