The Scottish Export Clubs Group (SECG) has been appointed to market and operate Young International Trader (YIT) in Scotland on behalf of the Institute of Export. YIT is a programme that provides an opportunity for high school students in S5 & S6 to learn about the fundamentals of international business while continuing their mainstream education. It is designed both for students who may wish to pursue a career in international trade, and those who just want to understand how imports and exports have an impact upon their lives and the world around them.

Scottish Export Clubs Group

Young International Trader

Young International Trader is an enterprising approach to teaching and learning. The Export Clubs see YIT as a means to develop partnerships between the school and the business community; a partnership that integrates pupils, teachers, and experts from the private sector.

Peebles High School was the first school in Scotland to have an involvement in YIT. With Mike Wilson taking on the role of mentor we ran a successful pilot at Peebles in 2006/07. An indication of this success is demonstrated by the fact that Peebles is repeating YIT in the current scholastic year. Participation in YIT at Peebles was, and remains voluntary. Even the teacher gives up a free period to participate.

In Dumfries & Galloway YIT is running at two schools, Annan and Langholm Academy. One teacher, Anne Barclay, who is based in Annan Academy, was appointed with responsibility for delivering YIT in both schools. Anne take YIT at Annan on Mondays and Langholm on Tuesdays.

As the programme progresses, the teacher and colleagues at Annan and Langholm are devising ways to better integrate the pupils and guest speakers from the business community. They are devising games and exercises which will encourage the pupils to really engage with the speaker. They want the pupils to ask good sensible questions about the topic; and not just sit there listening.

The YIT programmes in Peebles, Annan & Langholm will result in  what the Export Clubs believe to be a quality learning and teaching experience. One which we hope will be adopted by other schools around Scotland.

To assist with the delivery of YIT in Peebles, Annan and Langholm, business people - company directors and senior managers - are freely giving of their time to address the pupils on whichever one of the first seven modules in YIT that they have expertise in.

In addition, each school has a dedicated mentor. Another volunteer. The mentor is an experienced business person whose job is to find appropriate speakers and generally assist the teacher throughout the YIT programme. There will be up to seven guest speakers plus the mentor participating in YIT at every school. 

There are seven compulsory modules in the Young International Trader programme, plus two optional modules.

• Modules
  1. Imports from the world around us
  2. The nuts and bolts of export
  3. Foreign currency and foreign exchange
  4. The market place
  5. Transport and logistics
  6. The structure of business
  7. Finance, value and image
  8. Getting to know a business (optional)
  9. Getting to know a country (optional)

Each YIT programme includes outside visits. The Peebles High School group recently went to Holland & Sherry - an importer and exporter of very high quality and expensive cloth.

The pupils from Annan and Langholm will visit Prestwick airport early in the New Year to experience what goes on behind the scenes. On another day they will visit the Curries road haulage depot and the Dupont manufacturing plant in the Dumfries area.

The Scottish Export Clubs Group has introduced YIT to Scottish Enterprise in Dumfries & Galloway, Forth Valley, and Scottish Borders and all three regions have confirmed interest in the programme, and offered their support.

Enterprise Education
So, how does YIT fit into Enterprise Education?

The feedback from teachers is that YIT comfortably fits within the Curriculum for Excellence and Determined to Succeed initiatives, as well as the Four Capacities - helping create responsible citizens, effective contributors, confident individuals, and successful learners.

• YIT is a flexible product.
• YIT can be embedded in the curriculum (say in Business Studies, Geography, etc.)
• YIT can run as a stand-alone course over ‘x’ number of weeks 
• YIT can be run within an Enterprise week
• YIT can be run on a selective module basis

Scottish Borders Export Club meeting, 13th December
The December meeting of the Scottish Borders the Export Club will have YIT as its topic. Letters will go out to all Borders High Schools, inviting the head teachers, the head of business studies, and any teacher with an interest in YIT to attend.

Carolyn Futty, of Peebles High school, has agreed to come along, bringing with her a couple of the students currently participating in the YIT programme.

The Export Club will also invite the Rotary Clubs in the Borders, Scottish Enterprise Borders, Scottish Borders Council, Heriot Watt University, and Borders College to attend.

SECG see the Rotary Clubs as a possible source for local mentors and speakers. The University and College can provide experts to speak to specific modules.

In addition, invitations will go out to approximately 200 Borders based businesses - all of them engaged  in some form of international trade activity.

The Export Club meeting will take place on Thursday, 13th December, 6.30 - 8.30 p.m., in the G&A Hotel, Melrose,  and will be followed by a buffet supper giving all participants the opportunity to network. It is hoped we can bring together all of the high schools and organisations required to make YIT a success in the Scottish Borders, and this approach can be rolled out into other regions in Scotland.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Mike Wilson. mike.wilson@eildon.com    Tel: (01 896) 830 505