Asia Competence for Tech Professionals

How We Are Solving It

Led by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada), in partnership with Canfor, Teck and Mosaic Forest Management, the Asia Competence for Tech Professionals program will support 100 Canadian professionals in these sectors, including recent STEM and business school graduates, in developing their Asia competence – the knowledge, skills, and experiences that help make them effective in knowing how to tap into these opportunities. 

Knowledge: The first part of this e-learning course will build participants’ knowledge of key geographic, demographic, and economic factors that shape the business environment in three promising markets: China, Indonesia, and South Korea. It will also equip them with a deeper understanding of the national contexts for these markets’ natural resources and environmental technology opportunities and introduce them to some of the cultural information that will assist them in developing partnerships in the region. This section of the course will take place through self-paced e-learning modules. 

Skills and Experiences: The second part of the course will be a live virtual training, during which participants will have an opportunity to apply their country and cultural knowledge. They will do so by working through business case studies drawn from real-world scenarios. Country and subject matter experts will provide feedback and additional insights into the type of Asia competence that helps businesses succeed in one of the three markets of focus. 

The course will conclude with a live session that will connect participants with organizations that are at the leading edge in supporting Canadian companies and businesspeople in getting active in China, Indonesia, or South Korea.  

The initial focus of the pilot project will be on training 100 Canadian professionals, including recent STEM and business school graduates with an interest in gaining the type of country and cultural awareness and experiences needed to pursue global opportunities. This program will support an equitable, diverse, and inclusive learning environment, with specific recruitment of peoples of Indigenous backgrounds and other underrepresented groups.  

Participants will receive a certificate of completion from APF Canada and will be encouraged to list this achievement on their resume and/or online credentials. During the pilot, the team will also look at ways to formalize the training program so that accreditation can be offered in the future.   

The Result

This project aimed to develop a pilot project that would support business and tech professionals with cross-cultural awareness in business settings as a critical component of business success in Asia, namely China, South Korea and Indonesia. The project consulted corporate partners and other stakeholders to design a course comprised of an introduction to demand and market opportunities in the natural resources and environmental technology sectors in Asia; and cultural information shaping the context of person-to-person business engagements in Asia.

The program was able to register 99 participants and successfully graduate 68 participants, with 14 graduates being from corporate partners and 24 participants from under-represented groups.