This Fellowship Program is designed to partner selected postgraduate business students with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing world with the aim of fostering greater cross-border trade. This directly addresses our collective mission at GBSN –– to improve access to quality, locally relevant management and entrepreneurial education for the developing world. GoTrade is education and access.
Objectives
VALUE OF CROSS-BORDER TRADE
The Fellowship Program teaches SMEs and Fellows about the value of cross-border trade and gives SMEs the tools to access the global marketplace. Helping SMEs in the world’s developing and least developed countries access global markets is a proven way to connect people and improve lives.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities for top performing business students who will learn through collaboration with the SMEs how to operate in often ill-defined markets, with scarce resources, in less structured environments.
Eligibility Criteria
Graduate students from across the globe who meet the following criteria are invited to apply.
- Enrolled at a participating GBSN member school at the start fellowship
- Commitment to complete 12 month fellowship program
- Fluency in either English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese
- Ability to commit to an estimated 12 to 15 hours per month
- Proven work experience
- Strong analytical skills
- Entrepreneurial and proactive mindset
- Pandemic dependent, ability to travel to home country of the SME for 1-2 weeks (expenses covered)
Offered Benefits
Pairing Students + SMEs
The Fellowship Program will pair graduate business students (MBA/MSc) with SMEs for 12 months. Each GoTrade GBSN Fellow will be assigned an SME to advise, consult, and collaborate with. The GoTrade GBSN Fellowship Program will convene regular virtual sessions bringing all students together with speakers on relevant subject matter to aid their learning objectives, with the additional goal of fostering networking among peers.
Fellows will be supported by:
- DPDHL mentors
- Cohort of peers: the inaugural group will form the Alumni Network of GoTrade GBSN Fellows
- Coaching and mentoring with SMEs
- DPDHL Certified Program learning journey covering basics of international trade
