Customs and University of Canberra extend partnership

The Australian Customs Service and the University of Canberra have agreed to extend their innovative public sector education partnership for a further two years.

The extension of the agreement was signed in Canberra on 30 June 1999. It means that the university will continue to deliver a fully accredited Commercial Education Program (CEP) for Customs staff. (See A New Era in Customs Staff Education, Manifest Vol.1 No.2.)

The program, jointly developed and delivered by Customs and the University of Canberra, is tailored to provide Customs officers with training opportunities ranging from workplace skilling to more traditional academic subjects.

Since its inception in June 1997, the comprehensive and flexible training program has been taken up by more than 530 Customs officers.

The CEP's aim is to provide Customs officers with the expertise required to cope with a wide range of complex business issues. The program is available in face-to-face and distance education forms. It ensures that the technical skills and knowledge needed by officers is imparted in the most effective way and enables officers to work towards externally recognised tertiary qualifications. The program is structured into four qualifications: certificate level IV, diploma, advanced diploma and ultimately a degree. It consists of a vast range of subject specific, discrete units of training.

Subjects covered include aspects of accounting, management, legal principles, compliance audit techniques, systems analysis, business statistics, import and export processing, and many more.

Customs Chief Executive Officer, Lionel Woodward and the university's Vice Chancellor, Professor Don Aitkin signed the extended agreement.

Mr Woodward said the CEP was designed to encourage participants to be adaptable and meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.

"This continuing collaboration with the University of Canberra ensures that the attributes, skills and knowledge needed by Customs officers are imparted in the most effective way," he said.

Professor Aitkin said: "The university has worked with Customs now for several years and we have learned a great deal about how to design and deliver a tailored educational program to a diverse and intelligence workforce across the nation. The partnership with Customs is one of the university's very best relationships and we mean to keep it that way."