World Customs Journal

Professionalism in Customs and

workforce development
WCO initiatives to equip Customs with whole-of-career
development strategies and practices
Report prepared by Bndicte Meille, Capacity Building Directorate
World Customs Organization
The World Customs Organization (WCO) has been developing initiatives and tools to enable the customs
community to empower its organisational platforms and promote an efficient shift to organisations which
are compliant, agile and adaptable.
The 2nd WCO Capacity Building Committee meeting held in Brussels from 3-5 May 2011 outlined
the crucial importance of people development for capacity building and customs modernisation. The
meeting decided to trigger further reflection on methods of building professionalism in Customs.
Global, regional and national imperatives have reinforced the need for responsive customs organisations.
Each organisations human capital is one of their most valuable assets in keeping pace with an everchanging environment. In order to continue contributing to todays economy and knowledge society,
Customs must adopt appropriate and relevant fit-for-purpose professional principles and practices in
line with the Customs in the 21st Century approach adopted by the WCO.
Since 2006, with the establishment of the Capacity Building Directorate and the launch of the PICARD
Program, the WCO in partnership with the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) has
led innovative initiatives aimed at establishing Customs as a profession. New platforms have strived to
provide a cooperative framework for customs education and research, and to build solutions to increase
the professional knowledge and standing of customs executives and practitioners. These initiatives have
included the PICARD Professional Standards adopted in 2008 for Operational and Strategic Customs
Managers.
The WCO has been promoting Customs as a coherent professional body which is specifically structured
on the basis of the unique aspect of customs operating models, sharing specific and graduated knowledge,
competencies and skills, and as one which is fully connected to todays economic and social challenges.
The importance of recognising Customs as a profession, with identified career paths, has led the
WCO and its partners to contemplate encouraging national adoption of integrated education, training
and development schemes provided by Customs and education authorities and, as well, initiating new
approaches to Customs whole-of-career development strategies.
If people are the key enablers of any organisation, and if the workforce is the critical factor for ensuring
the success of any capacity building initiative, the strategy to adopt is to have the right person at the right
place, at the right time. Attracting talented people, aligning employee performance with the organisations
mission and value, proactively shaping the future workforce, and retaining the top performers are some
of the strategic issues that customs organisations are facing.
To assist its Members with their understanding and implementation of professional qualifications and
career paths specifically related to Customs, the WCO Secretariat was mandated by the 2nd Capacity
Building Committee to develop a framework of practices and principles on people development for
all customs practitioners, and to set up a virtual working group to address this priority issue. The group

Volume 5, Number 2

141

International Network of Customs Universities

is to gather together officials from different parties such as customs administrations, academia, and the
private sector, all of whom are responsible for and specialists in the area of capacity building, namely,
human resource management, organisational development and/or change management.
The groups objectives are to:
establish principles and standard frameworks to design comprehensive workforce development
strategies and programs for customs administrations
set professional standards for the profiles of all customs practitioners; and to define knowledge, skills
and competencies for the main customs job profiles and career streams
develop principles and methods of achieving the key concepts tied to the implementation of
workforce development programs such as succession planning, mobility and portability, performance
management and compensation management, recruitment and on-boarding, development and learning
introduce a basic training framework and processes (policies and curricula) as a reference for overall
learning and career progression schemes.
Established with a restricted number of active contributors in early September 2011, the group has decided
to tackle the scope of its activities by examining approaches already adopted or under development by
customs administrations, academia and the business community. It will collect principles and practices
from these communities, conduct research to identify gaps and missing components, and adapt theoretical
concepts and academic findings to customs operating models.
In order to facilitate the project coordination and work of the different contributors, the group agreed
on the development of a set structure for the framework of principles. An outline has been adopted by
the group around six main topical clusters which will articulate the core and technical components for
a future roadmap for the customs profession. This will also help to rationalise the involvement of each
groups members by identifying the precise scope of their contributions.
The first cluster will address the definition of customs jobs profiles including elements such as the job
families in Customs, the competencies needed for each main function, and the developmental programs
tied to each of them.
The next four clusters will explore the principles and practices of four core components of an integrated
human capital development policy: the definition of a Workforce Development Strategy, the Recruitment
and On-boarding policies, the definition of Career Development Paths and Training policy, and the
definition of a Leadership and Management Development Path.
The last cluster will focus on the Career Development Tools and Practices, developing a toolbox for
the implementation of concepts and techniques like Succession Planning, Mobility and Outplacement,
Rotation and Posting, Talent Management, Personal Development Planning and Learning, a Performance
Appraisal System, and a Professional Qualifications Framework.
Actively cooperating through a dedicated collaborative workspace on CLiKC! (the WCO Customs
Learning and Knowledge Community portal) and frequent virtual meetings, the group expects its robust
inter-sessional work to enable the framework to be presented to the WCO Council in June 2013.
In addition to the work started by the group around the structured frameworks outline, the Capacity
Building Directorate has also coordinated other early achievements. During the first semester 2011, a
questionnaire was sent to seventeen Member administrations to develop a preliminary analysis on the
practices needed to design the career development program. The first stage of a study on a Customs
Qualifications Framework has been initiated to design a table of equivalence between the levels of
competencies, professional tasks and academic/educational recognition following the standards set by
other international organisations. This study will contribute to the scope of the Groups outcomes and
promote enhanced portability and mobility among customs practitioners.
142

Volume 5, Number 2

World Customs Journal

These WCO initiatives on professionalism in Customs aim to enhance the procedures and processes
used by customs practitioners around the world and, in turn, to enable those practitioners to benefit from
individual autonomy and responsibility in managing their careers as well as promoting organisational
transparency and predictability by the introduction and use of career mapping.
The Capacity Building Directorate intends to support WCO administrations as they apply creative
solutions to develop knowledge, skills and enhanced performance within their organisations, and to
ensure that there is a strategic alignment between their needs, organisational goals and the allocation of
resources. Those organisational stakes are critical as they will contribute directly to strong and effective
customs administration regimes: they will cut costs not capabilities, maximise workforce productivity,
and build a flexible, adaptable organisation.
Editors note: The INCU is pleased to be working closely with the WCO on this important initiative that
will build on the current Professional Standards and provide a comprehensive training and education
framework for customs professionals at all levels.

Volume 5, Number 2

143

International Network of Customs Universities

144

Volume 5, Number 2