Enterprises with aspirations to internationalise their products and services should be supported to develop clear strategies and nurtured with the skills to successfully implement them. Trade Malta has been mandated to carry out this role to help diversify the economy.

Established in 2015 as a public-private partnership between the government and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, Trade Malta assists local enterprise reach foreign markets with their products and services as Malta’s export promotion agency. It also regularly organises business missions, country seminars, and sector-specific surveys.

One of Trade Malta’s most popular programmes is Go Global, de­signed for early-stage exporters with innovative products or services. The programme provides eligible enterprises a free diagnostic report on their export-readi­ness, a practical training course in collaboration with the University of Malta, and financial assistance to travel to networking opportunities to kick start their export drive.

Go Global’s ability to train and connect has led to successful in­takes in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Places on the programme are limited and preference is given to enterprises: a) involved in activities that are industrial in nature, including manufacturing, ICT, engineering services, R&D and education; b) that have some experience in internationalisation, even on an experimental basis; c) that demonstrate commitment to the programme.

The programme is open to any enterprise involved in any industrial sector and whose share of re­venue from export activities is less than 20 per cent and employ not more than 250 staff. Enterprises involved in retail activities can qua­lify only in case of franchising pro­jects. Enterprises in financial ser­vi­ces, tourism, real estate, whole­sale and retail, medical services and legal and accounting services are beyond the remit of Go Global.

The programme enjoys the support of HSBC. As one of the world’s largest financial institutions, HSBC is well established in key countries and operates across a large number of the world’s most important trade corridors. Its global network serves customers worldwide from more than 4,000 offices in 70 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.

Through HSBC’s Malta Trade for Growth Fund, HSBC is assisting Maltese companies to expand their international business. HSBC is furthermore offering a range of incentives and services specifically de­signed to help local businesses to bolster their international trade, particularly with emerging markets. The programme includes the following assistance initiatives:

Phase 1: A free diagnostic report (15 hours). A dedicated adviser establishes the company’s export readiness and identifies key capabilities. This is a focused exercise and no fee is charged at this stage.

Phase 2: A training programme on SME internationalisation held jointly with the Malta University Consulting Ltd (30 hours). This training course includes seven interactive lecture sessions, a one-to-one tutoring session and at least two panel discussions with experts.

The course, which is now accredited by the University of Malta’s Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), is designed to be interactive and is delivered by persons with adequate academic and/or industry experience.

The panel discussions are held mid-way and at the end of the course. Established exporters will attend to share their experiences. In the one-on-one tutoring a Trade Malta official will discuss the trainee’s internationalisation plans.

At the end of the course, the participants are expected to prepare a presentation, to be assessed by examiners appointed by the University of Malta. The next training course will run from January 2018 to March 2018, and registration is currently open on a limited basis.

Phase 3: Funding. Upon submission of a plan, enterprises become eligible to apply for part-financing of the cost of travelling for one-to-one meet­ings, trade fairs and conferences in the identified target market. Participants in the Go Global programme are encouraged to submit applications for the travel assistance as this can prove to be essential during the early phase of internationalisation.

Any enterprise interested in Go Global should download an application form from the Trade Malta website (www.trademalta.org) or e-mail info@trademalta.org

Richard Scerri is head of trade promotion at Trade Malta.