The training program is developed by Visionest Institute (former Marketingi Instituut) in cooperation with the Export Promotion Office (Ukraine) and with the support of the Ministry of the Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine. The program is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, namely Estonian Development Cooperation Program.
This is a sector-specific educational program designed for entrepreneurs and exporters representing Ukraine’s creative economy, aimed at helping them establish a strong national and international brand for their design products, initiate exports, and strengthen their positions in the domestic market.
The Creative Export Ukraine program consists of two levels: PRO and START. Creative Export Ukraine: PRO Level is an intensive training program tailored to experienced export managers and creative business owners, with the goal of creating a strong international brand, acquiring knowledge and skills in market research and analysis, and developing a strategic export plan for their company. Creative Export Ukraine: START Level is a training course for Ukrainian creative entrepreneurs aiming to start exporting and establish a successful and recognizable brand.
1036 participants took part in the START-level online training program. 119 participants took part in the PRO-level online training program.
Of the START-level graduates, 76% intensified their export activities after the program, while 4.4% started exporting or entered new markets. Networking is one of the most important parts of the program, with 40% of participants finding useful contacts during the program and continuing to communicate, and 16% starting cooperation with other participants.
Of the PRO-level graduates, 88% intensified their export activities after the program, while 10% started exporting or entered new markets. Networking is one of the most important parts of the program, with 70% of participants finding useful contacts during the program and continuing to communicate, and 3.3% starting cooperation with other participants.
Impact:
One year after the program, the average growth in export sales is 250,000 UAH, with an expected increase in export sales of +1 million UAH.
56% of participants stated that the Creative Export Ukraine program had a significant impact on the development of their team, 35% said it enhanced their knowledge by more than 90%, and 77% mentioned that their income level/self-esteem had improved.
At the company level, 10% mentioned obtaining new patents, 25% obtained new certificates/new trademarks, and made sales in new markets.
Over the 2-year collaboration period, the EPO leader gained experience in implementing the Creative Export Ukraine program, including how to create sector-specific export programs, define target audiences, implement them, and monitor results.
Participants rated the program with a score of 4.6 (on a 5-point scale). This criterion encompassed the assessment of the following sub-criteria: program format, level of information delivery, relevance of the information received to expectations, usefulness of the materials provided, correlation between theoretical material and practice, novelty of the information received, and usefulness of the materials provided.
Mentors were rated by participants with a score of 4.8 (on a 5-point scale), indicating exceptionally high satisfaction with their work.
The START level training program for new exporters consisted of 14 webinars, held once a week through the Talent LMS training platform. In addition to the online training modules, the program included 5 live seminars in regional centres across Ukraine. These live seminars covered networking opportunities with trainers.
In addition to the online training modules, there were also 10 live seminars held in Kyiv and 5 in regional centres.
Over the course of 2 years of program implementation, 11 mentors from four different countries were involved: Estonia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.
