"DIGITAL 4 EXPORT": The course on Digital Communication for Internationalisation kicks off in Turin

PRESS RELEASE

Turin, 10 October 2016 - The first call for admission to "Digital 4 Export" was published today. This is a training programme for the small and medium sized enterprises that intend to take advantage of digitalisation to transform and develop their businesses in international markets. The initiative is the result of close cooperation between ICE-Agenzia per la promozione all'estero e l'internazionalizzazione delle imprese italiane (Agency for the internationalisation of Italian companies and their promotion abroad), Confindustria Piccola Industria and the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, which contributed to the design of the courses via Intesa Sanpaolo Formazione.

"Digital 4 Export" has a strong correlation with Industria 4.0, the national plan recently launched by the Government to support the "fourth industrial revolution": a series of measures, incentives and investments aimed at taking digitalisation to all the production process phases of Italian industry.

In this area, special attention is devoted to the development of skills and expertise, which is considered as one of the strategic guidelines for investments. The ability of Italian companies to build their future lies in the appropriate use of digital technologies, by taking each growth opportunity to compete in the world. For this reason, entrepreneurs need to become aware of the potentials of digitalisation and of the role it plays in supporting internationalisation.

The training programme's first edition will be held in Turin on 8 November. Between the end of 2016 and the start of 2017 others will follow in Brescia, Salerno, Treviso, Parma, Catania and Florence. Six training days are scheduled, each arranged into two thematic modules, with an educational approach focusing on theoretical content, case studies, practical simulations and continuous interaction.

More than 200 companies (30 for each edition), selected in accordance with the eligibility criteria defined in the public participation notices, will receive strategic training.

Companies interested in this initiative may find information, training modules, notices and participation sheets on the website dedicated to the project:https://sites.google.com/a/ice.it/digital-for-export/home and on the websites of ICE-Agenzia, Intesa Sanpaolo and Confindustria Piccola Industria.

During the first three days of the course, the following subjects will be discussed: internationalisation and tools, international payments, company brands, international transportation, international guarantees, patents and safeguards. In the following three days, the opportunities posed by digitalisation will be explored through subjects such as "made

Michele Scannavini, Chairman of ICE - Agenzia per la promozione all'estero e l'internazionalizzazione delle imprese italiane, declared: "For several years now ICE has focused its training activity on innovative formats and specialisation courses on foreign trade with a digital twist, by studying the new frontiers offered by web marketing and e-commerce. Through these courses, companies may reconsider their marketing strategies and foreign trade techniques in light of the new digital instruments, to seize new business opportunities. By 2017 we estimate that this activity will train and raise awareness among 700 to 800 small and medium enterprises with a vocation to develop new digital channels, also through a knowledgeable and transversal use of the information and communication technologies".

Alberto Baban, Chairman of Piccola Industria Confindustria, declared: "With Intesa Sanpaolo and the ICE Agency, also in light of Piano Nazionale 4.0 recently presented by Minister Calenda, we wanted to launch a series of training courses tailored for SMEs and focusing on digital communication for internationalisation as a strategic asset capable of boosting competitiveness. In a rapidly changing world, the difference will no longer come from the corporate size of companies, but from their ability to use technologies to change and innovate their production models, to be flexible and be able to correctly respond to consumers, both in Italy and abroad. Those working directly with the end customers and able to anticipate the market needs will have a best chance of success. Digital communication will thus continue to play an increasingly important role for our companies."

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