General platform for online training courses of Customs sector

	Customs reforms tax management policy accompanies with enterprises
	Customs sectors encourages people and businesses to use online public services
	Customs sector removes difficulties for enterprises

Training course at Vietnam Customs Shool. Photo: H.N

Coordination in deployment

According to the plan, the Trade Facilitation Program funded by USAID for Vietnam Customs (the USAID TFP) supporting Viet Nam Customs School in holding training courses on the eLMS will focus on contents of interest to Vietnam Customs such as rules of origin, container inspection, post-clearance audit, risk management, customs transit procedures and customs integrity (anti-corruption).

The eLMS allows 1,000 users at the same time and is a key part in the plan to develop 10 more training courses of Vietnam Customs School in the next year. Previously, the USAID TFP funded the school to hold a pilot 15-minute online training course on origin rules.

USAID TFP will support to develop aneLMS in Vietnam Customs School as a common platform for online training courses of the Customs sector. The USAID TFP will also regulate training courses for officers of Vietnam Customs School on proper use and management skills and for lectures on methods to design online training courses.

According to the Rector of Vietnam Customs School, online learning will help Customs officers update new knowledge, enhance professionalism and improve skills to overcome current and future challenges, for example illicit transshipment and origin fraud in trade facilitation,

“The support in e-learning at the key period not only due to Covid-19 pandemic, has changed training methods; allowed Vietnam Customs School and the General Department of Vietnam Customs to train many customs officers in the country effectively and creatively, meeting the requirements of increasing integration,” Phien said.

Hope to expand training

Speaking at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on the online training management system between Vietnam Customs and USAID on July 21, Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh said coordination in online training for Vietnam Customs will be the foundation for effective and long-term implementation of the USAID TFP, and not only meet requirements on human resource training of the Customs sector but also expand training for customs brokers, business community and investors interested in learning about customs andimport-export activities.

Director of USAID Michael Greene also said the signing of the MoU to deploy the eLMS on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam, also demonstrates the USAID’s commitment as a reliable partner for the development of Vietnam in general and Customs sector in particular. The USAID will support the Customs sector and Vietnam Customs in enhancing training capacity.

Sharing experiences in e-learning in the Clickc programme and the 11th Virtual Customs Orientation Academy (VCOA) programme of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Trinh Khac Son a Customs officer of Customs Department of Goods Verification said the Clikc as an online database/information with visual simulations of WCO was set up to publicise knowledge in customs field. Topics are selected flexibly depending on the purpose of the user; especially the lessons that allow limitless access.

Son said the VCOA programme is an online training course on customs operation but is very different from Clikc,asitis a training course designed to be a real classroom on an online platform. The training course not only provides general knowledge of international practices to customs officers of countries, but also focuses on interaction. Interactions between lectures and learners, especially interactions between learners and learners,areimplemented via online exchange and share about the specific characteristics of customs of different countries in the forum.