Austrade and Telstra team up for SMEs

AUSTRADE and Telstra Business have teamed up to help Australian businesses develop their export potential and step up to the world stage.

Launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the 2008 Telstra Business Awards earlier this month, the Telstra Alumuni Program aims to encourage companies to enhance the export side of their business.

Austrade was approached by Telstra to do more joint initiatives following a successful collaboration during the Beijing Olympics.

Austrade's manager major program promotions, David Buckley, said Telstra wanted to refer the winners and finalists of the Telstra Business Awards and Telstra Women in Business Awards to Austrade to start working with these companies to launch them into overseas markets.

"For Austrade it was a new channel by which to source appropriate companies, and they will fit into the normal programs and be provided with the various forms of assistance we provide other companies," Mr Buckley said.

Austrade has a similar existing arrangement with Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Tesltra Business spokesperson Rod Bruem said the high turnover of businesses in the SME sector meant those making it to the awards were survivors.

"So we really felt they were ideal candidates if they're not exporting, to be exporting," Mr Bruem said.

Mr Bruem hopes to align his awards with regional award programs to feed more businesses to Austrade for export development.