4.41pm – Monday 13 May 2024
The provincial operational plan for the internationalization of companies was presented. The annual document represents the grounding of the eleven actions identified in the strategic plan to support companies towards foreign markets and strengthen the Trentino brand.
Starting from the three-year strategic plan, presented last year, the provincial operational plan for internationalization identifies the activities to be carried out in 2024 to implement some of the eleven actions identified with the aim of supporting Trentino companies in their paths towards foreign markets. The document was presented today in a meeting between the Province, Trentino Sviluppo, trade associations and a representation of businesses and economic operators in the area. The Operational Plan follows up on the 11 actions identified by the Strategic Plan – of which 3 ecosystem-based and 8 targeted at companies and sectors – which range from training to support in building an entrepreneurial culture aimed at internationalisation, from accompanying actions at trade fairs to structuring of missions across the various sectors with the aim of strengthening the concept of the “Trentino economic system”. Activities and services designed to provide support to Trentino companies that work abroad but also, at the same time, to strengthen Trentino as a quality territorial brand, through the creation of a local ESG Framework. On this occasion, the results of a research by ISPAT were also returned which illustrates the propensity towards exports of the local realities.
In July last year, the Province equipped itself with a strategic plan which indicates some actions of crucial importance to give impetus to business exports, is the comment of the provincial councilor for economic development, work, universities and research. It was born after months of discussion with all the local players who deal with internationalization and who care about the success of Trentino on markets around the world. Now the time has come to reap the fruits of that programmatic work, carrying out concrete activities to be implemented already during this year. This is an important step for the territory and its companies, which have what it takes to export Trentino excellence abroad, are the conclusions of the councilor.
The annual operational plan represents the grounding of the 11 actions of the strategic plan that have been started, or will start in the coming months, by the provincial actors to improve the propensity for internationalization and the export preparation of the companies of the system economic Trentino.
The first point concerns the establishment of an Observatory, which has the aim of monitoring the internationalization activity of Trentino entities and providing updated analyzes and insights on specific themes identified by the Province together with the members of the Strategic Committee for Internationalization. This is followed by the creation of an ESG Framework, which will lead Trentino to identify itself with specific values and stand out on the international scene as a territory attentive to sustainability. The third point of the Plan is dedicated to the International Assessment service, which provides companies with a screening of the degree of internationalization and its particular potential on foreign markets. At point number 4 we find the Export Support Path, which aims to respond to a transversal need of companies, which is to be able to access specific training programs, regardless of the sector they belong to. Points 5, 6 and 7 are instead dedicated to the skills of professionals (such as sales agents, lawyers, accountants), to the promotion of a culture of internationalization also through closer collaboration with universities and to the diffusion of managers in companies capable of guiding access routes to foreign markets. The 2024 Operational Plan also indicates activities aimed at the formation of international networks as a tool to facilitate access to new value chains and the accompaniment of Trentino companies to events and fairs around the world (System Missions). It is also important to create a technical assistance desk to support companies in accessing facilitation procedures and any further information on financial instruments through dedicated bodies. Finally, the operational document includes indications relating to digital export, a potentially effective tool, especially in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises, the use of which must be constructed together with the categories.
Among the first initiatives connected to the Operational Plan are the path for the creation of a local ESG Framework, for which the first discussions have begun with economic operators and trade associations, and “Export Objective”, a cycle of workshop organized by Trentino Sviluppo and Accademia d’Impresa to provide basic information on internationalization issues to companies that are approaching these topics for the first time or to companies that are already present abroad but want to expand their markets . The first meeting will be held on May 21st in the Aula Magna of the Business Academy.
Speaking instead of numbers, the ISPAT report shows that Trentino has room for improvement, with a lower degree of openness towards internationalization than the average of the North-Eastern territories. However, there are encouraging signs, with an export value of over 5 billion euros in 2022 (+15.9% compared to the previous year). The research also highlights that 90% of Trentino’s exporting companies are medium-small in size and that Germany confirms itself as the privileged destination for provincial exports, followed by the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Austria. (gn)
