T raining provider Global Maritime Legal Solutions (GMLS) has formed a “strategic alliance” with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to provide the bridging training from the South African Customs legislative environment to the global WCO training instruments. GMLS managing director Mark Goodger told FTW that these “globally relevant courses” formed the foundational academic materials of the global instruments that drove international trade from a customs compliance and modernisation perspective. He explained that, for example, in the preamble to the new South African Customs Control Act there was a reference to the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention which captured Customs modernisation and the harmonisation and simplification of Customs procedures. “In this particular regard, the materials are suitable for legal counsel, supply chain managers, tariff experts and starting students, inclusive of all practitioners who need to perform costings and comply with the principles of self-determination and selfcompliance as specified in the new Customs Control Act,” said Goodger. He pointed out that as Customs modernisation rolled out, GMLS would provide the WCO global instruments directly to local trade, freight forwarders and supply chain managers. “GMLS has other global associates such as Incoterms® 2010, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and is a member of the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) and the like,” said Goodger. The company has also been appointed to provide training offered by the newly launched WCO Academy online training platform where the logistics and supply chain industry has access to 23 Customs-focused e-learning classes as well as news updates, webinars and e-books. Furthermore, added Goodger, GMLS was partnering with Ekurhuleni East College and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce to train interns in the workplace, “The first 56 students have already been placed on the WCO introduction to the Harmonised Tariff Classification Modules,” he said.
The company has been appointed to provide training offered by the newly launched WCO Academy online training platform. – Mark Goodger
