CSCB Report
Professional certification for customs brokers
This fall the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers launches a new professional certification program for customs brokers. The 12-month Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) program is the first of its kind in Canada, designed to address three critical developments in the industry:
• The government’s decision to alter the licensing requirements for brokers;
• The increasingly severe consequences for importers who make errors in handling customs transactions with CCRA; and
• Increasingly complex human resource needs, in an industry where a high level of knowledge and expertise is at a premium.
The Redesign of Broker Regulation
The government has announced significant changes to its customs broker regulatory program. These changes have resulted in an enormous gap in an industry where professional qualifications and standards are essential. When importers place their customs transactions in the hands of a broker, they are making a decision based on trust. While the previous government-issued “qualified customs broker” designation was never a guarantee of service quality, it did provide some assurance that the broker was qualified to do the job. Without some form of recognized, credible standard for professional qualification, importers would have a much more difficult challenge when considering a broker’s service.
| Current and planned CCRA policies place an increasing burden on importers to “get it right” when reporting and accounting for goods. | ||
The Certified Customs Specialist program fills the need for such a standard. Backed by the CSCB – one of the most trusted organizations in the industry – the program will ensure that graduates have a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of customs transactions, procedures and policies. And it will ensure that graduates have the skills necessary to apply their knowledge in real life, to the best advantage of importers.
The “CCS” designation will, I believe, quickly become recognized as the new professional standard in the customs marketplace.
Helping Importers to “Get it Right”
CCS will, of course, be more than just a designation. A Customs Certified Specialist will have the specialised knowledge and skills required to deliver the level of service importers need, in an environment where mistakes can lead to serious consequences.
Current and planned CCRA policies place an increasing burden on importers to “get it right” when reporting and accounting for goods. Monetary penalties – even for data entry errors – can quickly add up. Post-clearance audit procedures expose importers to a more comprehensive, thorough review of past customs transactions than ever before. That review, increasingly, can involve not only records of goods received, but an importer’s entire business operation.
From CCRA’s perspective, “getting it right” means getting it right the first time, with automatic penalties for administrative errors. As each customs transaction involves a more complex set of details, linking goods received to their point of origin through to their final destination, the possibility for errors to creep in keeps growing – leaving the importer open to considerable risk. It is a risk that importers cannot avoid entirely, no matter how determined they are to comply with customs requirements.
That risk can be minimized, however, by turning to a specialist who knows the business inside out. The Customs Certified Specialist program is designed to meet the business world’s need for such a specialist.
Meeting the Industry’s Human Resource Needs
As importers demand increasingly complex customs services, the need for highly qualified, well-trained people keeps growing. The new certification program will help ensure that there is a good source of qualified candidates for those who hire customs brokers, including brokerage firms and companies with in-house customs departments.
No business today is more knowledge-intensive than the customs business. Companies who provide customs services need people who can manage, coordinate, automate, communicate and apply vast amounts of information, in a business environment where time and expertise are critical. They need people who can turn the constant flow of information into valuable knowledge for their clients.
The CCS program will help meet that need. Certified Specialists will know the fundamentals of the business, like tariff classification, valuation, and release procedures. And they will have the skills required to stay on top of changing customs policies and procedures, administrative programs, and international trade agreements.
That kind of knowledge – skilfully applied – can make a bottom-line difference for a brokerage firm’s clients. And that is the kind of difference that makes a broker’s business flourish – if there are enough qualified people available to do the job.
The CCS designation will assure those hiring staff that they have found someone who has what it takes – someone who is committed to a career in the business, and has the credibility and experience to deliver high-value service to clients.
The New Standard for the Industry
The CCS program is designed and delivered by people who know their business, with years of hands-on experience in the field. It is a program created by those who know what it takes to thrive and prosper as a customs broker, and what it takes to deliver the best possible service to importers.
The CSCB is committed to making the CCS program the best professional development program possible. It will become the most recognized, and demanded, qualification for brokerage services throughout the country.
To find out more about the Certified Customs Specialist program, visit the CSCB web site: www.cscb.ca.