ICA’s Complete Cotton Is a Complete Success
April 28, 2011 
At the end of the day, if you gained one important insight about your job and made a new friend along the way, you’ve done pretty well for yourself.
If, on the other hand, you gained hundreds of insights about your job and made 40 new friends along the way, you’ve just returned from Complete Cotton Training.
The International Cotton Association’s (ICA) training program, focusing on all aspects of the raw cotton trade, was held in Liverpool, England from April 11-20 and was attended by 38 delegates from 19 countries. With 17 tailored modules presented by 18 cotton and textile thought leaders, each and every one of us in the program was treated to the kind of education that normally takes years to acquire. With sessions focusing on topics ranging from production to retailing–and everything in between–the course also offered attendees the opportunity to take the ICA Arbitrator Training Course and Exam (Basic Level 1) free of charge.
“The Complete Cotton experience was, as the name suggests, complete,” says Luis Eduardo, general manager of Robert Daniel Corretora Ltd. in Sao Paulo, Brazil. “I learned a lot about the cotton supply chain, including some details and insights that will help me on an everyday basis. It was also good to make connections with delegates from so many countries, because I now have a better understanding of how people all over the world look at the cotton market.”
Based on feedback from previous years, ICA decided to make some changes in the program. “We made some improvements for 2011,” says Kai Hughes, ICA managing director. “We rationalized the syllabus, making it more relevant to today’s market conditions. We reduced the length of the course, allowing delegates more flexibility when making travel arrangements and less time away from their commitments back home. We were also able to reduce the cost and offer a better discount for ICA members.”
“Complete Cotton is impressive both in terms of the number of topics covered and the depth of detail in every session,” says Kamil Taufique Saigol, director of Kohinoor Textile Mills in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. “The ability to understand several aspects of cotton is a great advantage, and I encourage all who have the opportunity to attend the course.”
The course promises to cover virtually every aspect of the raw cotton trade … and it delivers, with dedicated modules on:
- The History of Cotton and Liverpool
- The Role of the ICA
- Cotton Production and Ginning
- Creating a Cotton Contract
- Spinning
- World Cotton Markets
- Trading with China
- Trading with India
- Trading with the United States
- Futures and Options
- Risk Management
- Banking and Finance
- Retail Perspective
- Controlling
- Logistics
- Arbitration
While knowledge was the focus, delegates had plenty of opportunities to see the sites and attractions in Liverpool, too. Among the sponsored events were a dinner at the Maritime Museum at Liverpool’s UNESCO waterfront site, a trip to Anfield (home to Liverpool Football Club), and a visit to one of Britain’s greatest industrial heritage sites: Quarry Bank Mill, which was founded in 1784 and has been restored as a fully working cotton mill and museum.
“Over the years, this training has provided an excellent grounding for many of today’s key players in the cotton world,” Hughes says. “The benefits are far reaching. Not only do the delegates gain access to training and networking opportunities that may otherwise be inaccessible, they transfer the learning back home to help make a positive impact within their own workplace and community. This has a knock-on effect for the industry as a whole and helps to promote good trading practice.”
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