Enter your email below to receive weekly updates from the Ashton College blog straight to your inbox.
Like many young professionals, Akina was looking for an opportunity to begin a career that she is passionate about. After working in an unrelated industry for almost four years in Japan, she decided to take a risk and move into international trade.
After seeking advice from her network of professionals, Akina found out about the Diploma in International Trade program at Ashton College, and she realized that this was the perfect program for her. Akina flew across the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver to complete the program, and to gain experience in the North American international trade industry.
At first, Akina found this program challenging because it covered a board range of topics. To successfully graduate from the program, she had to complete three big projects within a five month period. Although she found the program intense, she said that it provided “a great amount of knowledge about the current business environment.”
Akina told us that she felt that the program’s focus on hands-on experience and practical skills equipped her with the tools to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills. This allowed her to make a smooth transition from the classroom to employment in international trade.
“The knowledge of FITT has helped me greatly understand the current situation in the international trade field and expand my work experience.”
Akina achieved success in her internship, working as a freight forwarder, because she was “dealing with a lot of documents which require the professional knowledge that she already learned in the FITT courses such as BOL, commercial invoice, and certification origin.”
Despite being away from her family and friends, Akina was able to build a support network with the people that she met at Ashton College. Akina built particularly strong bonds with Emiko, her Program Adviser, and Darwin, her DIT Instructor. She felt that during her time at Ashton, Emiko and Darwin were there to support, encourage, and help her overcome the challenges that she faced while embarking on a new career path.
Through the experience of studying at Ashton College, Akina has “learned that the most important thing is experience, and the most difficult thing is to take the first step bravely.” Akina attended the Ashton Achievements Awards on June 22, 2013 and received her Diploma in International Trade. She recently returned to Japan to start her career in international trade.
Click here for more information on Ashton International!
View All Comments