On May 13-16 in Lutsk, a four-day training on merchandising in the textile and apparel industry took place, designed for Ukrainian export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises. The workshop was carried out in the framework of the ‘Eastern Partnership: Ready to Trade’ project funded by the European Union as part of its EU4Businsess initiative, with the technical and logistical support of the International Trade Centre and the ‘Ukrlegprom’ Association.
The event was supported at local level by the Lutsk City Council, the Volyn Regional State Administration, the Volyn CCI, the Lutsk National Technical University and the Eastern European National University named after Lesia Ukrainka.
Specialists from 30 companies from different regions of Ukraine took part in the 4 days of training, which was fully adapted to the level and needs of the participants. Enterprises’ top managers attended the opening of the event, indicating their interest in company development and their desire to increase their competitiveness in export markets. The participation of students from specialised training institutions, who had an opportunity to learn about modern trends in the coordination of the “production-logistics-sales” chain, was also significant.
Participants showed great interest and involvement in the training process: many questions were put to the speaker on the practical application of the theory within Ukrainian realities, and the development of the fast-fashion format. At the same time, the presentation of theoretical blocks was supported by a large number of group tasks. It was interestingfor everybodyto speak about practical situations that arise at the enterprises every day.
The last day of the training, which was held at the premises of the ‘Edelvika’ company, which specialises in the production of ethnic clothing, symbolically coincided with the celebration of WorldVyshyvanka (embroidered shirt/dress)Day, when everybody was dressed in the Ukrainian national clothes.
The Ready to Trade project, funded by the European Union’s EU4Business initiative, works with small businesses in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to help them target and access foreign markets, with a special focus on the European Union.