The Women Export Academy is a collaborative initiative between the U.S. Commercial Service and UPS that aims to increase the participation of women-owned and women-led business in exporting and to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs to achieve economic equality.

This capacity building program will equip entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and resources to become globally competitive and increase the participation of women-owned and women-led businesses in international trade.

The program’s curriculum includes virtual workshops, one-on-one consultations, insights and training on export strategies, tools and resources to enter new markets, insights on how to build an export-friendly digital presence, and guidance on package flows and preparing export shipment.

The Women Export Academy 2022 will be hosted online every Thursday, from June 2 to June 30 at 10 am Central Time, and it is free to attend.

Benefits of trade for women

Trade has the potential to expand women’s role in the economy, decrease inequality, and to expand women’s access to skills and education. It can also dramatically improve women’s lives, creating new jobs, enhancing consumer choice, and increasing women’s bargaining power in society. 

When women are employed in sectors with high levels of exports, they are more likely to be formally employed in a job with better benefits, training, and security.

Program’s Learning Modules:

• Going Beyond Borders to Grow Your Business (June 2)
  • Global e-commerce shifts in buying behaviors
  • Tools & solutions to take advantage of opportunities
  • Export with UPS
• Tariffs, Incoterms®, and More (June 9)
  • Export Process and Impacts on Tariffs
    • Export declaration
    • Incoterms
    • Shipping costs
    • Tax/duties
  • Product classification
  • Required export documentation
  • International payment terms
• Logistics for E-commerce (June 16)
  • Importance of e-commerce
  • Types of e-commerce
  • Strategy for e-commerce
  • E-commerce trends
• Freight Forwarders and Custom Brokers (June 23)
  • Freight forwarders
  • Choosing a freight forwarder
  • Custom brokers
  • Differences between Freight Forwarders and Custom Brokers
  • Importance of warehousing
    • Main functions, areas, types, and factors to consider
  • Efficient logistics
  • Warehouse trends
• Customer Experience (June 30)
  • What is a customer experience and why is it important for SMEs
  • Step of the customer journey
  • Strategies to retain customers and make them loyal clients
  • Tools used during the retention process (ex. Database)

Eligibility criteria for attending the program:

• Your products must contain at least 51% of U.S. content
• Must have a clear strategic business plan 
• Must be registered and incorporated in the U.S.
• Must have a functioning website to promote services and products