"Fit for Partnership with Germany"
The Manager Training Programme of the
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)
. The BMWi Manager Training Programme (MP) is an important element of Germany's efforts to promote foreign trade. Under the "Fit for Partnership with Germany" motto, it gets executives from all over the world ready to initiate business and economic partnerships with German firms – successfully for both sides. To date a total more than 9,000 executives from firms with foreign trade potential have completed the Manager Training Programme. On average, each group of 20 participants establishes contact with a total of 60 mostly medium-sized German firms.
The success of the programme is due to just the right balance between developing new skills and business practice. In interactive and practice-oriented trainings, participants learn about the particulars of the German business culture and improve their business conduct and negotiating techniques. Visits to firms from a variety of branches provide illustrative examples of German business practice. Participants gain first-hand, practical knowledge of German companies and have the opportunity to become familiar with modern technology and equipment. Programme participants also establish direct contact with potential business partners. The programme offers all participating firms access to business opportunities in the respective other market – a win-win situation.
The MP has shown impressive results, clearly demonstrating its economic utility both for participating German firms and involved companies from our 16 partner countries. The volume of mutual trade in goods and services – generated in Germany during the training – exceeds invested German public funds many times over.

The Manager Training Programme generates lasting contacts and encourages the business elite of tomorrow to focus on Germany and Europe. After returning from Germany, many participants successfully implement restructuring and optimisation in their home companies: diversification of production and services, better use of resources, purchasing and international qualifications are all examples of how business efficiency has increased in many companies, creating new jobs as well.
The programme's partnership approach has made it particularly popular in emerging nations / transition countries. Currently the programme is offered based on a bilateral MoU with 16 countries and is likely to be expanded to include more nations. The BMWi has authorized the GIZ as general manager in charge of coordinating the programme. Training is decentralised, taking place throughout Germany and run by eleven educational consortia (comprising around forty mostly private individual enterprises) with close ties to business, all of whom successfully qualified in a tendering procedure. Currently around 900 foreign executives / companies participate in the programme each year. A few thousand firms are also involved on the German end.
The training programme for German executives in Russia and China serves as another best practice example. Under the "Fit for Russian Business" motto, the Russian government has invited German firms to come to different regions in Russia since 2006. In 2012 the programme was implemented in China as well together with the Chinese government. The programme serves to initiate business and opens the door to the Russian and the Chinese market.