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 infringing items or explosives based on documentation. Over the past months, the WCO Secretariat continued to develop content and finalized two new VRT courses.

The first course deals with air cargo clearance, with a focus on e-commerce shipments, and invites learners to explore each step of an air cargo inspection in a flexible, non-linear sequence. The second course deals with container control techniques and provides an overview of container types and markings, standard dimensions and uses, and key inspection techniques.

Customs officers can take these courses at most WCO RTCs and Regional Offices for Capacity Building (ROCBs) which have been equipped with virtual reality (VR) kiosks, each including a high-performance computer, VR headset, base stations, controllers, and display screen.

Development of these two courses has been funded by the Korea Customs Service. The project required developing scenarios and related documentation, and drafting related manuals, as well as installing the VR kiosks and training the RTCs and ROCBs staff on the use of the equipment. The WCO Secretariat, together with the company hired to design the software and the graphics, coordinated the logistics and training delivery.

A few months after their launch, the WCO Secretariat conducted a survey to collect users’ feedback on the VRT courses. A high level of satisfaction was reported with both the content of the courses and user experience. The survey also highlighted strong local ownership of the initiative, with RTCs and ROCBs staff well acquainted with the equipment and ready to assist learners.

To broaden access to the VRT courses beyond regional premises, PC versions of all the VRT courses were created and integrated within the WCO CLiKC! learning platform. CLiKC! users will be required to download an application to access the courses on their personal computers. High-performance computers are required, as well as headsets to be able to fully experience the VRT courses.

More information
WCO BACUDA Project website
CLiKC! learning platform
bacuda@wcoomd.org