Chuangyi Wu: "The skills acquired in the CFGS will help me stand out in selection processes"

23/09/2024

• Can you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Chuangyi, but everyone finds it easier to call me Tua. I was born in China in 2002 and, at the age of 5, I moved here to Catalonia in 2007. Since then, I have grown up in Banyoles, Girona. I am currently 22 years old, and I have successfully completed the Advanced Vocational Training in International Trade, which I started with the idea of entering the job market and ended up continuing my studies at ESCI - UPF with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Marketing. Before this, I completed a Technological Baccalaureate and began a degree in Automotive Engineering at EPSEM - UPC in Manresa, but after two years, I left the degree and entered the FUAB Professional Training Center.

In my free time, I like to play instruments (piano and electric bass), draw, listen to music, and take an interest in cars (one of the reasons I wanted to study Automotive Engineering). Currently, I am interested in gastronomy (both tasting and cooking), traveling, learning languages, taking photos, going to the mountains to snowboard, and other hobbies I have. I’ve always been quite handy and resourceful.

• What motivated you to enroll in the Advanced Vocational Training in International Trade at the FUAB Professional Training Center? Was this your first non-compulsory education experience?

One of the reasons I chose International Trade was my ease in learning languages and my ability to connect with people from different cultures. As I mentioned earlier, I spent two years studying engineering and then made a radical change in my career projection.

• How would you describe your experience with the subjects and the study plan?

There are subjects that are more interesting than others, depending on each person’s interests. The study plan not only teaches useful knowledge for the workplace but also provides a personal perspective. We applied a lot of theoretical knowledge through group work and activities, promoting learning by doing. Group work is especially emphasized in the "International Trade Project" subject during the second year.

• How would you describe the classroom atmosphere, your classmates, and the faculty? Did your classmates ask you for help with the "Commercial Chinese" subject?

The classroom atmosphere is good when people are engaged and there is interaction with the faculty. Many classmates asked me for help, especially before exams, to solve some doubts. Some asked me to help them practice for the oral Chinese exams.

During the two years, I also gave tutoring classes for the "Commercial Chinese" subject and especially for "International Financing and International Payment Methods" (two subjects I was quite good at) to a couple of classmates.

• Where did you complete your internship?

My internship was at the freight forwarding company Total Freight Worldwide SL, in the maritime import department. During the summers of my first and second years, I worked at a meat company in Girona, supporting the commercial department with both national and intra-community shipments within the European Union, as well as exports around the world.

• What specific skills do you think you’ve developed thanks to the internships you’ve completed?

Some of the skills I’ve developed include document management for importation, handling the arrival of containers at ports in the peninsula (mainly in Barcelona), the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems focused on freight forwarding, managing full and partial cargo deliveries to clients, customer service, and communication with the originating freight forwarder through phone calls and emails in various languages.

• Can you give us a practical example or case study that you worked on during the module that you think will be particularly useful?

The calculation of CIP/CIF value according to the INCOTERM established in the merchandise contract to carry out customs clearance, as well as the different exercises on payment methods to understand operations from both a global and specific perspective for each stage of the operation.

• How do you think the skills acquired during these studies will help you in your professional development?

The skills acquired will help me stand out from other candidates during job searches, and they will especially speed up my daily tasks in the future. They will help me approach problems from different perspectives and solve them in the most efficient way possible.

• Can you tell us about your experience participating in the "Forma't al Port" program? What did you like the most?

It was a very enriching experience for me. It allowed me to gain knowledge that isn’t taught in the classroom and provided the opportunity to network with key people in the port and business sectors.

• What professional goal would you like to achieve?

I’d like to achieve a good position in a company or possibly start my own business idea.

• Would you recommend the Advanced Vocational Training in International Trade to other future students interested in this sector?

I would definitely recommend the Advanced Vocational Training in International Trade to others because, in just two years, you gain a solid level of specific knowledge in the sector.