If Customs officers are not well-trained, proficient in professional operation and do not perform consistently across the sector, it will hinder and cause obstacles in their daily work. Therefore, training and retraining must be considered as a priority, including on-the-job training so that customs officers are able to be proficient in professional skills and practice in each job position.

Teaching at Vietnam Customs School. Photo: Hồng Nụ
 

Comprehensive and intensive professional training

On January 17, 2018, the General Department of Vietnam Customs issued Decision No. 122/QD-TCHQ approving the framework of a general customs professional training program with a duration of 800 hours and a study period of about five months.

According to the assessment of General Department of Vietnam Customs, the highlight of the general customs professional training program is that the content of the program has been revised and supplemented with new and comprehensive knowledge to serve working requirements such as integrity and code of ethics in customs, martial arts, use of weapons, physical training, field training.

The duration of the program is adjusted to increase from 1.5 months to 5 months; the learning content basically complements and provides basic knowledge of professional operations, ensuring Customs officers are capable of performing tasks in all working positions.

Besides the highlights and professional training, the General Department of Vietnam Customs also frankly acknowledged that the program and documents of the general customs professional class were still spread out and unbalanced between theory and practice. Currently, the practical part was mainly done through actual observation at the border gate and the customs branch where the customs clearance procedures were carried out with a duration of only 2-3 days. At Vietnam Customs School, there is no customs branch model so that students can not practice. Therefore, it is necessary to further enhance the practical time through the provision of visual aids or virtual reality training models.

On the other hand, it is possible to consider reducing the theoretical content following the distribution ratio between theory of 30% and practice of 70% instead of the ratio of theory from 50% to 80% and practice from 20% up to 50% as in some topics. Documents, textbooks and teaching methods have not focused on training skills to work in the direction of specific guidance for each working position.

Currently, the Vietnam Customs School has cooperated with professional units under the General Department of Vietnam Customs to develop intensive training programs and annual training sessions with a duration of 3-5 days. The intensive professional training classes according to working positions have partly met the requirements of updating new knowledge, methods and skills to handle specific problems in customs operations; and guiding skills in implementation and use of tools and equipment related to professional activities.

Job rotation between similar operations

Currently, the Party Committee of the General Department of Vietnam Customs is developing a draft resolution on strengthening the leadership of the Party in order to improve the quality of human resources to meet the requirements of implementing the Customs Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period.

Commenting on the draft resolution, Vice Principal of Vietnam Customs School Vu Hong Van said that in order to build and develop human resources, meeting the requirements of implementing the Customs development strategy for the 2021-2030 period, the Customs sector needed to raise awareness, roles and responsibilities of management leaders at all levels in improving the capacity of customs officers and employees in the unit.

To develop the idea of ​​training experts at two levels (General Department of Vietnam Customs and Regional Customs), it is necessary to choose a pilot project of rotating between similar working positions, ensuring the expertise of customs officers throughout the course of their career.

Ms. Vu Hong Van cited an example: Customs officers performing in tax management positions could rotate to post-clearance audit and examination, thereby providing systematic and trans-disciplinary training for customs officers from the entrance stage and becoming a Customs expert.

Mrs. Vu Hong Van also said that if accomplishing this idea, the Customs sector would be able to build a source of experts in each professional field, realizing the goals set out in the process of building and developing human resources in order to meet the requirements of tasks, contribute to building a regular and modern Customs sector, meet the requirements of customs reform and modernization in general, and implement Digital and Smart Customs.