Invitation to participate in the educational program Leadership in Export Business

SPIRIT Slovenija, javna agencija v letu 2026 vpisuje devetnajsto generacijo izobraževalnega programa Vodenje izvoznega poslovanja – International Trade Management (ITM), ki ga izvaja v sodelovanju z ITM Worldwide Foundation. 

What is ITM?

ITM velja za enega najučinkovitejših mednarodnih izobraževalnih programov s področja mednarodne trgovine.
Slovenskim podjetjem je program na voljo od leta 2006. V tem času je program uspešno zaključilo že 250 zaposlenih v slovenskih malih in srednje velikih podjetjih. Zadovoljstvo udeležencev je vsako leto izjemno, več kot 90 odstotkov diplomirancev je ocenilo, da je program ITM presegel njihova pričakovanja.

Companies show excellent business results abroad – within three to five years of participating in the ITM program, participating companies have increased their revenue from foreign markets by an average of 40 percent. Every year, we also select an ITM Exporter of the Year from among the participants of previous generations.

Through the program’s excellent content, we aim to ‘bring’ knowledge into companies and save them significant time and resources that would otherwise be lost to poor business decisions. We invite companies to take advantage of all opportunities to gain new skills and competencies for successful entry into foreign markets and to enroll in the new generation of the ITM educational program, which begins in 2026. 

Who is the ITM program for?

We invite employees in export departments of small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the program.

It is intended for younger employees (up to 40 years old) in export departments of small and medium-sized enterprises who wish to advance personally and professionally in the field of international business and actively contribute to the successful expansion of the company’s operations into new foreign markets.
When forming the group of participants, we will strive to ensure as much interdisciplinarity as possible. The ITM program is not intended for companies registered for consulting activities (business consulting).

Priority in selection will be given to candidates aged 25 to 40 who come from small and medium-sized enterprises with at least 5 employees and 10 to 35 percent of export revenue in the previous year, and who hold a higher education or university degree.

ITM program participants gain:

• an export plan and individual consulting during its preparation,
• a sales presentation,
• practical knowledge in key areas of international business,
• information on innovations and trends in shaping export activities,
• greater confidence in business communication in a foreign language,
• opportunities for professional growth,      
• new business contacts,       
• an internationally recognized IATTO (International Association of Trade Training Organisations) diploma.

Workshops and international seminars

Program ITM poteka v angleškem jeziku in je kombinacija akademskega in praktičnega izobraževanja. Izpeljan je v obliki serije delavnic ‘Passport2Export’ ter petih mednarodnih seminarjev z mednarodno uveljavljenimi tujimi strokovnjaki in svetovalci.

Within the Passport2Export workshops, participants analyze their company’s current strategy, vision, and export motives, define export products or services, customers, potential markets, entry modes for selected foreign markets, necessary activities, business digitalization, and financial resources. Based on this, they prepare a detailed export plan, to which they add a company sales presentation prepared according to current global guidelines.

The combination of both is an excellent foundation for a well-thought-out and effective company presence in foreign markets. The individual approach, made possible by the group size, is further strengthened by individual consultations with advisors, where participants focus solely on their company’s specific case.

At international seminars, participants acquire knowledge and skills in international business, with an emphasis on market research, international market strategies, corporate culture and cross-cultural differences, implementing changes in companies, and sales and negotiation skills. 

Internationally recognized foreign experts and consultants

Internationally recognized foreign experts and consultants will share their knowledge, experience, and advice with participants in the ITM 2026 program:

• Jean Sutton, strokovnjakinja na področju raziskav trga in lastnica podjetja za tržne raziskave s sedežem v Londonu,
• dr. Fons Trompenaars, svetovno priznani strokovnjak na področju medkulturnih razlik, leta 2017 uvrščen v ‘Thinkers50 Hall of Fame’ med 7 najvplivnejših oseb na področju razvoja svetovnega managementa,
• dr. Albert. A. Anghern, večkrat nagrajeni avtor izobraževalnih aplikacij na področju uvajanja sprememb v podjetjih in digitalizacije poslovanja,
• dr. Waldemar Pförtsch, nemški profesor, svetovalec in avtor številnih priročnikov s področja mednarodnih trženjskih strategij ter B2B marketinga,
• Jos Velthuis, mednarodno priznani nizozemski trener prodajnih in pogajalskih veščin,
• Markus Jonsson in Martina Vazzoler, strokovnjaka in svetovalca za internacionalizacijo podjetij.

Seminars and workshops will be held in person in Ljubljana and in Sweden (according to the program). Individual meetings and group workshops will take place online.

We invite all interested participants of the ITM 2026 program to an introductory webinar, which will take place on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 10:00 AM. 

Agenda of the ITM 2026 introductory webinar:

Application and more information

We invite all interested parties to register for the webinar via the electronic application form by Dec 2, 2025.

The event will take place in the Zoom environment. We will send the link to registered participants the day before the webinar starts.

The event is organized by SPIRIT Slovenia.

Application form for the 2026 presentation webinar

Additional information:
Tjaša Fras, tel: 01 5891 872, e-mail: tjasa.fras@spiritslovenia.si