Ten officers from Her Majesty’s Customs and their regional counterparts are now certified trainers.

The officers were trained at a ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop last month facilitated by Mrs. Janice Barnett, a Customs Capacity Building Expert from the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC). Mrs. Barnett is a Customs trainer for more than ten years. Other beneficiaries of this training included officers from Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Commissioner of Customs, Mr. Wade Smith, commended the officers on successfully completing the course. He charged the officers, “You are the future of the Customs administrations throughout the Caribbean.  Thus, when you return to your administrations, make sure you pass on the knowledge that you have learned. In order to have continuity and succession planning it is important to share the information that you have learned.”

Mr. Smith thanked Mrs. Barnett and CARTAC, adding that the training was an investment in the department’s staff.

The Commissioner encouraged the officers to engage the facilitator as a resource person and continue to maintain the relationships developed with their colleagues in other territories.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Barnett said the key component to the successful workshop was the officers’ determination and will to learn and share information.

She said, “You took the time out in the evenings and at break to complete presentations and assignments. You were also willing to learn and share.

The implementation of the theory learnt in the train the trainer workshop is expected to aid the officers at Her Majesty’s Customs with their training and succession planning strategy.