IITI has NEW PREMISES

Last Tuesday, February 23rd, we launched the new premises of the Institute of International Trade of Ireland – 26 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. It was a fantastic evening, with people from multiple nationalities joining us from around the world.

This event was not only to launch our new premises but also to mark the beginning of our partnership with London College Dublin. This partnership enables the IITI to expand our horizons with regards to courses. We will now be complementing our Professional Diploma in E-Business and Global Trade with multiple language courses. We also plan on expanding the number of short courses, which we provide for exporting businesses.

We are committed to continually supporting the Irish industry and promoting education at the highest level, that is why we are evolving and updating the current programs and develop new ones to satisfy the needs of the rapidly changing market needs and to equip people with the best skills to face the challenges of a more than ever interconnected world.

Dr Christina Gates, president of the Institute speaking at the opening stated;

“The Institute’s two main objectives are firstly to encourage and foster the highest professional standards among practitioners in international trade and secondly to undertake, encourage and promote the study of the policy and practice of international trade in all its aspects. ’’

Ger O’Callaghan, the new Director of the IITI, explained:

“We intend stepping up the level of international trade training, inclusive of language training for both national and international students. However, the Institute will also cater for those at work in the export industry with a wide range of specialist short courses, utilising international expert lecturers to ensure high quality training is provided to support the continued competitiveness of the sector.’’

We know that this will be an extremely beneficial and successful partnership and we welcome all those from London College Dublin to the IITI.

The Evening

The evening began with delicious canapés and refreshments for all to enjoy, followed by a wonderful speech from Mr. Billy Kelleher, Minister for Trade & Commerce, who officially opened the new premises.

In this speech he noted “Ireland's export performance over most of the last decade has been a very significant factor in our economic growth and job creation. While there are undoubtedly many challenges for those operating in the current global marketplace, huge opportunities also exist and it is therefore important that those involved in driving our exports have the necessary qualifications and expertise. I am confident that the training programmes undertaken in the IITI, for our exporting professionals, will help deliver on our previous success".

John Whelan, Chairman of the IITI, said that today’s opening is a “further step along the road towards the SMART Economy, and will provide a more extended range of international trade training and language courses, to support foreign owned Multinational corporations and indigenous companies small and large. But also the IITI will be seeking to extend the reach of its international training and education, to a wider range of foreign students and bring to Ireland a bigger share of the foreign student market.’’

Figures are beginning to emerge of the potential of the Irish Education Market. Melbourne, Australia, which is a similar size to Dublin, generates over 2 billion euro each year from international students alone. The IITI recognises the magnitude of this opportunity and we aim to offer courses that are at a more competitive level with other developed countries.

In conclusion, we would like to thank all those who were able to attend and we hope you enjoyed the evening. The IITI would especially like to thank Minister Billy Kelleher, Mr. John Whelan and Ms. Christina Gates and all the Examiners, Lecturers and people involved with the IITI for years of hard work developing IITI to what it is today.

Welcome to the Institute of International Trade of Ireland!