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For a description of the most recent Ebusiness Program, click here.

Since the founding of the program, over one hundred managers, technical experts, and community leaders from Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland have received management training from U.S. businesses and other organizations. Upon completion of training, participants return home to apply their new skills to their company's changing business environment. While the focus of AMBIT is on providing U.S. management training for the interns, other benefits are realized, including shared experience and expertise. The AMBIT program is a visible demonstration of America's interest in supporting the economic development of Northern Ireland and the border counties, while at the same time expanding business ties between U.S. firms and companies in the region. AMBIT provides participating U.S. companies with an opportunity to develop lasting relationships with key buyers and decision-makers on the island of Ireland and gain insight into the business climate there and in the rest of Europe, enhancing their prospects for trade.

AMBIT coordinates two training programs: an ebusiness program and a community leadership program.

The eBusiness program provides hands-on training in U.S. companies to managers of small and medium sized companies from a wide range of industries in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. The objective is to provide the participants with the management tools to help them make informed decisions about, and take a disciplined approach to, planning, acquiring, and implementing existing and emerging technologies to their firms’ specific needs, business processes, and goals in the rapidly changing IT/e-commerce environment. Under the mantle of ebusiness, we include everything from web site development to management and productivity software.

The Community Leader program provides an intensive introduction to community development corporations (CDCs) in the United States. Men and women leaders of community development corporations (CDCs) representing both communities in Northern Ireland have benefited from this program. Strategies for economic development, building partnerships with the private sector, and developing capacity for long-term sustainability were among the topics covered in the training, which can facilitate the transition of community organizations in Northern Ireland from community development to community economic development. It is anticipated that a reverse visit, peer exchanges, and distance learning will also result from these internships.

For more information, contact Ilona Shtrom at (202) 482-6429.