UK Trade Negotiations Skills Training (TNST) Project

As a word-class trade negotiations training institution, CTPL was selected through a competitive process by the UK’s Department for International Trade to lead a 2-year Trade Negotiations Skills Training (TNST) project in order to help implement the UK’s post-Brexit trade policy strategy, and prepare its trade officials for independent FTA negotiations.

CTPL successfully adapted its programming for an online format as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions. CTPL’s responsive measures during COVID-19 times meant ensuring effective training through remote – delivery. Online learning requires a significantly different approach from classroom-based training if the learning objectives are going to be similarly achieved.

CTPL has the skills and experience to ensure these learning objectives are achieved. Our Principal staff have taught 20+ online courses (including trade negotiation simulations) to current and future trade negotiators since early 2020. More than 150 trade professionals from the UK Department for International Trade and other trade-related UK government departments have since taken these online courses as they implement UK’s post-Brexit international trade negotiation strategy with more than 30 countries. A further 200+ trade professionals previously took the classroom-based simulation courses. The virtual training has been well-received by CTPL’s clients. Plans are being implemented to continue training at this pace for the rest of the year.

Cambodia Capacity Building Workshops on Trade Negotiations.

CTPL is pleased to be working with GIZ on this innovative development project. The assignment will technical training that contributes to the strengthening of the public sector institutional setup/infrastructure for effective trade negotiations, building foundation knowledge of the negotiating teams on how to prepare and conduct trade negotiations with a particular focus on the Cambodian context, enhancing capacity of the private sectors to engage and influence trade negotiations, and ensuring sustainability of the trade negotiation capacity of Cambodia.

Participants from the public sector will consist of representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), and General Department of Custom and Excises (GDCE).

CTPL is a pioneer in using trade negotiation simulations based on real-life scenarios as a skills development teaching tool and a practical way to test new ideas before trying them out at the negotiating table.  We’ve done simulations of the Doha Round (3 times), a Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, a Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, and a Canada-CARICOM Trade and Development Agreement (5 times).  We partnered with the Shridath Ramphal Centre at the University of the West Indies in Barbados on the Canada-CARICOM simulation.  The text generated from the simulation and the experience itself are used to inform briefing notes we prepare for governments and stakeholders on all sides on our recommendations to move the trade negotiations forward.