Partnerships

AIESEC Canada
As a national platinum partner to AIESEC Canada, EDC supports AIESEC’s Global Internship Program which places Canadian students on international work placements and receives foreign students to work in Canada. This program fosters international leadership, diversity, cultural understanding, and corporate social responsibility. EDC supports funding to AIESEC Canada for their work in international student exchange and local leadership on 28 university campuses. EDC is also an active partner in AIESEC’s national conferences and engages AIESEC in the promotion of EDC’s International Business Scholarships.

Forum for International Trade Training (FITT)
As a national strategic partner to FITT, a training association and certification body for international trade education, EDC contributes to the educational content of the FITTskills courses, as well as supports FITT’s annual national conference and regional conferences. In spring 2009, EDC and FITT announced the launch of a new EDC-FITT Internship Program, whereby a FITTskills graduate would be awarded a one year work placement at EDC’s head office in Ottawa, with the Small Business Team. This placement will provide the intern with the one year of relevant work experience necessary to complete the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation which is administered by FITT.

University of Waterloo "Export Development Canada Environmental Finance Chair"
Working with the Faculty of the Environment at University of Waterloo (UW) since 2007, EDC endowed a new Chair in Environmental Finance based in the UW's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED).  The position is designed to identify financial products and practices that will help companies engage in business practices such as socially responsible investing and integrate social and environmental performance measures into their business activities

Dr. Olaf Weber was appointed to the new chair in November 2009. In his new role, Dr. Weber will do research and teach in the field of environmental and sustainable finance putting a strong emphasis on the interaction between business and sustainable development. As a result of the EDC support, the university also hired an additional professor in a related field, to further expand its environment and business faculty. Funding the Chair is part of EDC's commitment to facilitating environmental leadership by Canadian Firms.