Customs training company makes it practical

Skills development should
be seen not as an event
or a means to a subsidy
but rather an investment
in people empowerment
necessary for raising the
level of skilled competence
within the
sector.
That’s the
view of Trevor
Michael,
national
training and
development
manager at
Logtrain
International/
Customs
Training SA.
“With
South Africa
being a
strategic
global trade partner and
with the onset of new
legislation like the customs
control and duty acts,
the re-emphasised Solas
requirements, as well as
alignment to the World
Customs Organisation
Authorised Economic
Operator framework,
the focus on compliance
becomes paramount to
business survival. Most
training is removed from
the work place with the
disconnect creating a
transitional divide between
what is learnt and how it’s
applied within the learner's
work environment.”
He says there has been no
truly successful solution to
blended learning up until
now.
“As most skills
development providers focus
on passive
learning/
facilitation
there is a
dire shortage
of attention
to teaching
how one
reduces the
cost of noncompliance.
This is where
Logtrain/
Customs
Training SA
comes into
the mix.”
The company focuses on
equipping learners with
what they need to execute
smartly within their
role and ultimately their
organisation.
“We have re-engineered
our programmes to address
the gap between the lecture
hall and the workspace
by developing a concept
which we have branded
as the Compliance Tool
Kit. The concept moves
the theoretical learnings
closer to the operational
workspace of the learner,
using an array of live
learning tools which allows
for practical application
of learnings from the
classroom and creates a
culture of compliance which
in turn decreases the cost
of non-compliance,” said
Michael.
“Training and
development is about the
application of knowledge
not the ascertaining of facts.
We need to equip our people
with the right tools to
allow them to execute their
activities in an adequate,
compliant and profitable
manner.”
He said more and more
companies were looking
towards providers who
offered a value proposition
that translated into a direct
operational benefit.
“The brute reality is
that the supply chain and
logistics industry presently
employs some 895 000
people, who represent 6%
of South Africa’s workforce
and contribute a notable
8.2% of GDP. And while
it may be a key sector in
our economy, conservative
approximations suggest
that only 12.7% of personnel
have a tertiary qualification;
36.8% secondary education;
13.2% have no secondary
education; and 2.2% have
no formal schooling access,”
he said.
INSERT & CAPTION
We have re-engineered
our programmes
to address the
gap between the
lecture hall and the
workspace.
– Trevor Michael