‘Sars should play a role in international trade training’

The SA customs is guilty of leaving a gap in the training programme for forwarders who are registered as authorised economic operators (AEOs), according to Mark Goodger, MD of Global Maritime Learning Solutions (GMLS). Increased focus by customs administrations on securing the global supply chain means that AEOs will need skills and knowledge that they may not currently possess, he told FTW. AEO status is given to a company which is considered to be reliable in its customs-related operations. This includes customs compliance, appropriate recordkeeping, proven financial solvency and security and safety standards. But achieving this requires the involvement of the SA Revenue Service (Sars) customs in the training programme towards this compliance, Goodger added. “The SA customs administration is internally wellrespected for its training interventions. But freight forwarders do not currently receive the benefit of any training interaction and intervention under their leadership.” It’s a gap that can only be closed with accredited and internationally benchmarked education through partnerships between international bodies, governments, industry associations, and accredited training providers, Goodger said. He pointed to the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE framework of standards to secure and facilitate global trade, adopted in 2005. This, he added, is an instrument designed to simplify, streamline and secure the global supply chain – and developing an AEO programme is a core part of SAFE. “As a signatory to the SAFE framework,” Goodger said, “the SA government (through Sars) should play a leading role in the international trade training arena. This by acting as a primary stakeholder in the ownership and maintenance of quality standards and benchmarks put into place by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the WCO.” Goodger added: “As GMLS, we believe that Fiata plays a vital role in training in the industry. In fact a new Fiata Gap Module focuses specifically on supply chain security. We look forward to government’s increased focus on industry-specific training and we feel confident that we can contribute meaningfully to training development for the southern African region.”