The Export Development Programme operated by the Saxion Export Centre in Enschede gives both existing and prospective exporters in the east of the Netherlands an opportunity to benefit from the services of a student trainee. Companies planning to start an export business, as well as small firms who already operate in foreign markets but wish to structure their international operations, can make use of the temporary services of a final-year student of export management. The programme’s long-term objective is to encourage more small and medium-sized firms in the Gelderland and Overijssel regions to spread their wings in international markets. 
The Export Development Programme is a two-stage programme. During the first stage, the student spends six months with a company working on his or her graduation project. This could involve performing an international market research survey, for example, or drawing up an export plan in relation to one or more foreign countries. In the second stage, with the student now having graduated, he or she spends a further six months as an export management trainee. The aim now is to put his or her research plan into operation and achieve the marketing targets that he or she set for the company. Because students are able to familiarise themselves with their host companies while working on their research projects, they can devote all their time during their traineeship to the nuts and bolts of business improvement. The programme offers companies an opportunity to benefit from the skills and enthusiasm of a budding professional in international business. Experience shows that, provided the results are up to scratch, trainees are generally offered an employment contract upon the completion of their traineeship . As a result, the talents of highly educated young professionals are preserved for export-oriented companies in the east of the Netherlands. The Export Development Programme is an initiative of the Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede, the Netherlands, supported by the provincial councils of Overijssel and Gelderland and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). | 
