Hundreds of women-owned businesses in Viet Nam have received training to enhance competitiveness and gain access to the global marketplace from SheTrades and the UPS Women Exporters Programme.

The International Trade Centre began the SheTrades programme in 2015 with the goal of helping over three million women entrepreneurs export their products globally.

As a programme partner, the UPS Foundation – the philanthropic arm of global logistics leader UPS – aims to help women entrepreneurs overcome barriers to entry by sharing cross-border e-commerce trends, helping businesses build strategies and sharing knowledge on complex logistical concepts such as customs regulations and setting up supply chains.

In addition to its collaboration with SheTrades, the company has also established the UPS Women Exporters Programme, which gives women-owned businesses access to exclusive UPS reports, information and partnerships, and connects them with UPS consultants to help find export opportunities and optimise their global reach.

Positive results were recorded during the 2021 programme in Viet Nam, with 478 women receiving technical assistance, US$2.45 million generated in business and investment opportunities, and 91 per cent of participants reporting improved business resilience.

In addition, 40 women entrepreneurs received one-to-one coaching on accessing finance, building sectoral strategy and competitiveness, and leveraging free trade agreements.

This year’s session on financial management attracted about 70 women small business leaders who, in addition to receiving guidance from UPS, were also introduced to financial institutions SeABank, VPBank and Chailease, who offered insights on topics such as financial literacy, accessing capital, maintaining production and procurement.

“Both SheTrades and the UPS Women Exporters Programme have empowered many women to grow their businesses through international trade,” said Do Thi Dan Thanh, finance director of UPS Vietnam.

“At this event, we focused on several aspects of how to help SME entrepreneurs understand the lending landscape in Viet Nam, the digitalisation of the industry and financial connectivity to ensure women-owned SMEs in Viet Nam have the tools they need to grow their business globally.”

Two more training sessions are planned for 2022 – a “Get Ready To Do Business” workshop in Ha Noi and an online Digital Transformation Bootcamp – so small business owners have more opportunities to gain knowledge and access resources by connecting with UPS experts. — VNS