In 2021, the WCO Secretariat and the WCO Regional Training Center in Korea (RTC Korea) developed a virtual reality training (VRT) course for field inspectors. The VRT course took learners into a container yard and a bonded warehouse with the mission to detect shipments containing drugs, IPR inf...
It is often said that where there is a will there’s a way, but the reverse can also be true: improving Customs administrations’ capacity to understand and implement regulations might influence their willingness to make commitments. By developing and disseminati...
When it comes to enforcing STCs, Customs is generally, although not always, the main agency involved at the border. Depending on the situation of a country, determining whether traders are compliant is a challenging task, especially for dual-use goods. As Renaud Chatelus explained in an article p...
Measuring the programme’s performance
The following data can be taken into account when trying to assess the impact of the programme:
An e-learning module on Internal Affairs was released in January 2023 on CLiKC! – the learning platform developed by the WCO for Customs officers. The course was first released in English, but will be available in French, Portuguese, Arabic and Spanish by the end of March 2023.
The WCO...
Through discussions held at meetings of WCO working bodies and following integrity development assessments conducted with administrations over the years, the WCO Secretariat identified the need to provide support on this topic and develop a training curriculum on Internal Affairs-related processe...
The Fellowship Programme will combine online and in-person activities from September 2023 onwards. Already used for several activities, the method is expected to be cost-effective and to provide Fellows with an equally rewarding experience.
As with th...
The method is to be applied to the Fellowship Programme from its 87th session for French-speaking officers, which is scheduled from 18 September to 3 November 2023. Launched in 1985, the WCO Fellowship Programme forms part of the WCO’s initiatives to enable Customs officers from deve...
The ambitious goal envisaged by the creators of the WCO COPES Project was to initiate a dialogue reflecting on the working methods used to combat fraud, from the identification of an offence to the storage of seized assets, including reporting, collecting and preserving evidence.
In additi...
A wide range of online courses, e-learning modules, videos and webinars are made available to Customs officers via CLiKC!, the WCO learning platform. Thousands of officers have already registered on the platform. Below...
Classifying goods in the Harmonized System (HS) requires specific knowledge and skills, and, in some cases, a thorough understanding of the rules that govern it. While machine learning technology has enabled the development of various classification tools, these “are designed to assist clas...
To guide Customs administrations in their efforts to train their staff, the WCO Secretariat has developed the Strategic Guidance for Competency Development in the area of Tariff Classification of Goods for Customs Administrations. The guidance outlines a four-level competency development...
Gamification can be defined as the use of game principals in non-game contexts, including to deliver knowledge and know-how. For example, acquiring points and completing series of tasks or activities to advance to the next level may be used in contexts other than gaming to provide fun and stimula...
Virtual reality and gamification to enhance inspection skills
To develop the first course, the RTC worked with the WCO Secretariat. The idea was to develop it using Immersive Learning, an experiential training methodology...
Most Customs administrations devote a significant portion of their resources to training and competency development activities. The development and delivery of training also feature among the core activities of the WCO.[1] But h...
Figure 1 illustrates a possible WCO operating model for such training activities. It provides for an iterative process and evaluation at all stages, and is results- and impact-based. The initial step that would guide the whole process involves setting and agreeing on the beneficiary’s expectati...
Resource implications
Implementing such a framework requires resources to be allocated to the WCO Secretariat. This will involve the establishment of a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit with dedicated staff, whose responsibi...
The Foundation for International Development Studies and Research has published a The author begins by analysing the potential specific benefits of GAI for Customs administrations: machine translation, creation of computer code for data analysis, uniformity and correctness of administrative language, content creation, assistance in drafting policy documents and assistance in f...
Most Customs administrations hire their staff through open competitions, train the selected individuals in the core Customs functions and appoint them to a position in a field office so that they can become acquainted with everyday Customs operations. Some Customs administrations also have a trai...
The programme was first and foremost designed to focus on core Customs topics such as HS classification, Customs valuation, Post-clearance audit (PCA), rules of origin, and risk management and intelligence analysis (RM & IA). Customs administrations invited to participate in MTP training woul...
An online data analytics training course on is now available in English and French via the WCO CLiKC! Platform in the eLearning section. Developed thanks to Korea Customs funding, the course is for Customs officials who wish to become entry-level data analysts. It is structured to build a compr...
As part of its PICARD Programme, the WCO Secretariat has established a partnership with the Borders in Globalization (BIG) research programme of the University of Victoria, Canada, enabling some of the Customs officials who have submitted academic or policy research papers to the WCO Secretariat ...
Using “nudges” to enhance compliance
Veasna Yong from the Cambodian General Department of Customs and Excise wrote an article entitled Nudging Voluntary Compliance in Border Customs. “Nudging” is persuadi...
Launched in 1985, the WCO Fellowship Programme (FP) is one of a number of initiatives designed by the WCO to enable Customs officers from developing countries to acquire sound knowledge of internationally recognized Customs standards, techniques and practices, and to bolster their supervisory and...
Leading the implementation of key initiatives and helping colleagues manage change within the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA)
The WCO Secretariat is about to launch a new version of the CLiKC! learning platform, in order to provide users with a comprehensive picture of the Organization’s training material and opportunities available to its Members.
This initiative follows the endorsement by the WCO Capacity Bui...
To support this shift in the way training is delivered, the new CLiKC! platform will enable its users to:
To help meet the growing demand from Customs administrations for support in developing Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes and, more specifically, in setting up an AEO validation procedure, the WCO Secretariat has devised a new e-learning course which is available to Customs on the WCO ...
The e-learning course is expected to be of significant benefit to administrations that are currently embarking on AEO programme implementation or wishing to ensure that their validation procedures are aligned with recommended practices, as this will facilitate the negotiation of Mutual Recognitio...
New e-learning modules are available to Customs officers via CLiKC!, the WCO learning platform. Since April 2023, the platform also features a brand-new design that is both modern and intuitive, and an improved search function which allows users t...
The latest courses are:
The WCO Academy was launched in May 2018 to provide representatives from the private sector and academia with access to WCO distance learning courses. The aim is to disseminate knowledge related to WCO standards, tools and instruments to a wide audience, t...
In 2022, the WCO Academy platform was redesigned and the purchasing options modified.
Learners can now choose between:
As more countries imposed restrictions on movements and gatherings to fight the spread of COVID-19, online training that might have been a useful tool before, suddenly became a necessity. In this article, Japan Customs explains how it quickly adapted to the situati...
The Japan Customs Training Institute (CTI) provides various kinds of training programmes, which are designed according to officers’ skills and career paths. Among these various training programmes, the one developed for newly recruited officers is of particular importance. It is indeed imperati...
Change comes in many forms but it is invariably brought about by two main factors. The first occurs when there is a desire for it, whether by a group or an individual. The second type is born of necessity, when circumstances dictate that there is no other option. Occasionally both impetuses arriv...
Gold standard
The foundation, as seen by Morrissey and Codd, would be built upon meeting the highest standards of EU and WCO training, while delivering to a precise, ambitious set of business needs. With discussions heightening around the development of their own purpose-...
But it wasn’t just the technical training that made the trip so successful. Surrounded by colleagues of other Customs agencies from around Europe, the participants traded knowledge and experiences, as everyone brought something to the table. The trip also served another significant purpose, as ...
In March 2018, the Chinese government decided to integrate China’s entry-exit inspection and quarantine duties and workforce in 306 ports nationwide into China Customs. The former entry-exit inspection and quarantine officers then commenced working as Customs officers. This marked the birth of ...
All staff also undertook physical and team training based on military-style models. This included physical fitness training and behavioural training focusing on the importance of obedience to rules, teamwork and discipline. Senior officials also actively participated in this team training, which ...
Creating knowledge
A first-class academic institution cannot content itself with spreading knowledge through its programmes and teachings. It must go further by producing original and pertinent findings through research a...
The Serbia Customs Modernization Plan covering 2019 to 2023 recognized that the success of its implementation relies heavily on having qualified and professional Customs officials. It therefore provided for the development of a Human Resource Strategy to manage its human capital in a way that ali...
Demographics
The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched the Graduate Development Programme (GDP), an initiative aimed at Saudi fresh graduates whose slogan is “Ignite Young Leaders”. More than a training programme, the GDP represents ...
Customs brokers and Customs administrations share many challenges when it comes to collecting and sharing knowledge. This article introduces some of the practices used in this domain by brokers based in Lithuania.
About entry level requirements
Brokers navigate through the complexity of international trade thanks to information systems, but there is a limit to what the systems can d...
The French and Nigerien authorities have been working on setting up a region-specific national training centre on coordinated border management. Its purpose is to train the internal security services of the countries of West Africa that have seen security in their ...
The Sahelian border areas, where trade is the main economic resource, were subject to 65% of the violent incidents in 2022. These areas have become sources of financial revenue and influence, for which the armed groups are jostling with the states. In the past, there was little investment in thes...
A region-specific national training centre in Niger
Niger has a 5,690-kilometre-long border with seven countries: Algeria and Libya to...
For more than 10 years, counter-terrorism units have been witnessing the establishment of caliphates by jihadist groups in the Sahel. Although the activities of militant Islamist groups were initially focused on Mali, they have gradually shifted towards the west and south of Burkina Faso and spr...
Groups of traffickers organized into networks have taken advantage of the situation to step up their illicit activities (trafficking in arms, drugs and human beings etc.) in the border areas of the region and of Benin.
Several European Union (EU) Member States recently participated in a simulation exercise aimed at analysing practices related to the implementation of the EU Dual-Use Export Control Regulation and identifying related challenges. The simulation gathered both Customs...
Outcomes and recommendations
The purpose of SimEX 2015 was not to teach that a particular way of implementing export control would be better than another. All participants in the preparation/master team and in the playing...
This article argues that a formal plan for building and managing Customs knowledge is necessary for a Customs brokerage to operate effectively. The components of such a plan are discussed, as well as the determinants that may affect the choices made. The discussi...
What is a Customs broker?
The most basic function of the Customs broker is to complete and lodge Customs declarations and other documentation. Associated with this is the ability to advise the client on the requirements f...
Further, the avowed wish of Customs authorities to move compliance activity further from the border-crossing and to rely more heavily on risk-rating, post-clearance checks, audits and system checks, makes it dangerous to regard successful clearance as the end of the process. Errors that could be ...
Knowing that strengthening human capital is one of the key factors that determine performance, Moroccan Customs made this one of the five objectives of its 2017-2021 Strategic Plan. In September 2019, as part of this Plan, a Customs Training Institute came into bei...
Training is also offered for what are known as support positions within the Administration, such as human resource management and budget management. In addition to this, there is specific training known as “succession training”, which is intended for a pool of Customs officials selected for t...
Since 2020, Pakistan Customs has been working with the WCO Secretariat to enhance working methods used to combat fraud, from the identification of an offence to the storage of seized assets, including reporting, collecting and preserving evidence.
Cus...
In 2017, the COPES Programme was created to enable the WCO Secretariat to offer technical assistance to Customs administrations as a complement to other WCO enforcement programmes dealing with specific commodities (drugs, goods covered by multilateral environmental agreements, etc.) or specific i...
As Virtual Reality (VR) solutions are creating new ways to learn and become more embedded in the private and public sectors, Dubai Customs recently deployed a one-of-a-kind VR training programme to train their inspectors for fieldwork. The training is designed to improve inspectors’ efficiency ...
Shanghai Customs College (SCC) was founded in 1953 to provide training in Customs technique and management to the staff of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China. In March 2007, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, the SCC became an institution of...
Meeting international standards
Many universities around the world have now launched educational programmes that focus specifically on Customs issues and how they link to the international trade landscape. To ensure that ...
Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has developed a professional certification programme for Customs officers stationed at its 64 ports and Branch of entry. Called the ITQAN[1] Customs Professional Licensing Program (CPLP), it aims to enh...
Certification process
Consultations were conducted with field officers, management teams, ZATCA Academy staff and port management entities to develop a certification progr...
Over the past two years, the Mongolian Customs General Administration (MCGA) has embarked on an ambitious journey to reform its post-clearance audit (PCA) process with the support of the WCO. This article explains how the reform has taken shape and what has been ac...
In 1996, the Mongolian Customs General Administration (MCGA) established a PCA department, making PCA an essential part of its Customs declaration control process. As foreign trade turnover increased significantly over the decades that followed, the Administration reformulated its strategic goals...
Examining procedures and regulations
Based on the work plan, the MCGA created a working group to draft proposals for amendments to the Mongolian Customs Law. Together with all Customs staff involved in the legal reform, ...
Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has embarked on a journey to enhance its Human Capital strategy and maximize the potential of its employees. Central to this initiative is the introduction of Immersive Learning, a training methodology that ...
Implementation journey
Several public administrations and businesses have reported having had positive results using Virtual Reality (VR) solutions to train their staff. VR is a technology by which computer modelling and ...
Are there ways to improve compliance, safety, security, operational efficiency and information quality in international trade? Reduce the administrative burden for business and government? Foster the uniform application of Customs legislation? Encourage mutual unde...
Dreams are for real
For Customs officers across the globe, working for the WCO Secretariat is a prestigious opportunity not to let slip. I’m no different. So when the chance came knocking to ply my trade via the Career ...
Embracing opportunities
My first major task was to help organize the Global Information and Intelligence Strategy Working Group meeting. My role was not confined to making preparations for the meeting. I was to deliver a ...
The General Authority of Customs (GAC) of Qatar is constantly working to refine and update Customs regulations and procedures in line with international agreements and good practices, and with a view to harnessing technology developments.
To ensure field officers and brokers are proficient...
The platform covers the 42 educational packages developed by GAC trainers for officers working at Qatar ports of entry. A total of 714 are registered on the platform, and around 680 have passed the exams related to their job position. Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. They have app...
The WCO Asia-Pacific Regional Data/Intelligence Professionals Programme is a new initiative led by the WCO Secretariat in close collaboration with the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO A/P), thanks to funding provided by Japan Cust...
Discovering how to leverage the WCO Customs Enforcement Network (CEN)
The programme began with an intensive online training phase, focusing on two WCO applications, namely, the Customs Enforcement Network (CEN) and the C...
Nowadays, most Customs administrations have a school which teaches Customs staff. Some have a training centre devoted to the continuous practical training of officers throughout their careers. And it is one of these centres and its crucial role that is examined in this article, the purpose of whi...
People, goods and capital involved in preparing and perpetrating terrorist acts generally, cross borders and transit between different countries. The border is therefore the ideal place for thwarting the preparation of violent acts in advance, and for intercepting individuals linked to a terroris...
Ukraine declared itself an independent country on 24 August 1991 and, shortly afterwards, established its own Customs Service. As it is the case for any new organization, the challenge was to find highly qualified specialists and focus was consequently placed on the training of newly recruited of...
The Department also selects and trains dogs and dog handler teams, manages the logistics and infrastructure of the Dog Training Centre (kennels, vehicles and training tools used), ensures participation by Ukrainian dog handler teams in special events, and cooperates with other agenc...
The implementation of X-ray machines to support security screening was introduced approximately 50 years ago to accelerate the process of baggage inspection. Equipment was then developed to enable the non-intrusive inspection of vehicles, containers and trains.
Today’s X-ray systems pro...
When an object is X-rayed, some of the X-rays are absorbed by the object, whereas other X-rays pass straight through it. It is therefore the density and thickness of the materials that affect how easily X-rays pass through objects. The lower the density of a material, the more transparent the mat...
The Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (RFB) has unveiled the Virtual Reality Customs Training Generator (GTA-VR), an innovative application developed for virtual reality (VR) headsets. GTA-VR provides Customs officers with an immersive and interact...
The RFB therefore saw a pressing need for a more efficient and engaging training method that could bridge the gap between in-person and existing virtual learning.
Meanwhile, in the Innovation Department of the RFB, Carlos Dohrn, project manager and software developer, had been researching ...
Key benefits and user feedback
The application is not intended to replace traditional training methods but rather to complement them. It offers several innovative features that set it apart:
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Strategy for 2021 to 2025 has people as one of its key pillars, demonstrating the Administration’s commitment to investing in staff development. Leadership is one of the topics for which competency building has been sought. ...
In addition to these aspects, during the six-month training period participants also worked on actual projects, in teams of three, to enable them to put into practice the methods and concepts they had learned. On 10 March 2022, a graduation ceremony was organized to recognize their commitment and...
Customs organizations considering centralizing the analysis of data generated by non-intrusive inspection equipment should also consider their training needs and include a remote training platform in their integration architecture. The benefits will more than offse...
Integration has also found application with regard to security systems, such as real-time monitoring devices, sensors and non-intrusive inspection equipment. Such technologies range from CCTV, to systems enabling licence plate recognition for vehicles, optical character recognition, radiation det...