Rutland based international educational exchange organisation, IEPUK Ltd, are set to ride out the recession after completely restructuring their organisation and developing new business in the Ukraine, with help from UK Trade & Investment and Business Link.

The firm, based on Leicester Road, Uppingham, offer global work placements to young people in the environmental and land based sector, including horticulture, agriculture and equine.  With support from Defra, IEPUK became the first organisation in the UK to become a Licensed Sponsor for Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange for the Environmental and Land Based Sector.  

Now the family firm, run by husband and wife team Roger and Vanessa Peach, have launched IntSCA, an on line personal development planner which enables an individual to be evaluated and endorsed during placement and the skills gained to be added to the individuals record of achievement..  

Using UKTI's Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) the firm researched the Ukrainian market and in March Roger and Vanessa travelled to Kiev in Ukraine to present their new programmes and systems to Universities at an event hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture.  

With a Ukrainian language version of IntSCA available by the end of September business is looking up, Vanessa said: "When the recession hit, the impact on our business was immediate as we were unable to find host employers.  We needed to change and adapt if we were going to survive and both Business Link and UKTI have helped us to do this, radically altering the way we work.  They talked us through restructuring - focusing on securing recognition for our training programmes - and with this under our belt we are able to get further buy in of our service across the world.  

"Now with our special online skills tool, which enables both employers and job seekers to be well matched to placements, we are making moves into a host of new markets.  The Ukraine have been extremely receptive to our product and with help from UKTI we were able to secure meetings with all the right people. Now we're looking at expanding the service to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and we are currently in discussion with our European partners for mapping and translation of our skills products. 

"The economic climate is still making it difficult for us but if you grow beans, you have to keep picking them and if you breed horses, you still need staff to look after them.  Things are still quite bleak in New Zealand and Australia at the moment but the outlook is more positive in places like America.  With our new improved product and systems we know that we're in a better position than ever to ride the recession out." 

Suzy Bolton, International Trade Advisor for UK Trade & Investment, said: "We have worked with IEPUK Ltd for some time and they have embraced all of the help we have been able to offer them, from OMIS to the Passport to Export programme.  They are now set to join a more strategic programme - Gateway to Global growth, that we hope will help them increase their overseas success.

"The fact that IEPUK Ltd is building up new clients in the current climate is testament to the value of export. Working with UKTI can give significant support to those businesses who want to obtain business overseas and hopefully give them the security of knowing that they are not reliant on one single currency for success."

Any company wanting to increase their export sales should contact the UKTI International Trade Team on 0845 052 4001.