Professional institute gets industry nod

The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) has received over 60 expressions of interest – more than double the number required – which has mandated the establishment of a professional institute for customs compliance and freight forwarding. “A task team has been elected to decide on a name, how to market the institute and on the professional vocational designations, amongst others,” says Tony d’Almeida, consultant for education, training and development at Saaff. He told FTW the task team would convene its inaugural meeting in early December, with a proposed deadline of April 2014 for the inauguration of the institute and the election of a board. “The establishment of this institute, the first of its kind in the world with a focus on vocational training, will assist the industry in meeting the type of professional standards that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) is expecting,” says d’Almeida. The professional institute will require the individual members to sign a code of ethics and formally commit to continuous learning and development. Saaff chairman Basil Pietersen adds: “This initiative provides the opportunity for each one of us to stand up and be counted as dedicated industry professionals. In doing so, we demonstrate that the foundation of this industry is the professionalism of its people.” INSERT & CAPTION This initiative provides the opportunity for each one of us to stand up and be counted as dedicated industry professionals. – Basil Pietersen