Deutsche Post (DHL) Graduation Ceremony

Thank you to Felix Ebner, Head of the Global Customs Office, DHL Group who alongside David Widdowson co-hosted the graduation ceremony for 62 graduates of the Deutsche Post (DHL) International Customs Training Program (E-DICT) on Tuesday evening.

Commencing in 2006, the E-DICT Program has evolved and expanded over many years to reflect the changing role of Customs and its operating environment as well to cater to the different groups within DHL who participate in the Program. To date over 2,000 DHL employees have completed the E-DICT Program. 

During the ceremony Felix commented on what it takes to be a great customs professional. 
✅ You need to be a lawyer to understand and interpret the various regulations and agreements.
✅ You need to be an engineer to understand the nature of goods, and to classify them for Customs or other purposes.
✅ You need to be a diplomat, because you are engaging with many different stakeholders.
✅You need to be an IT expert, because you need to manage digital platforms and compliance tools, and connect them with your own IT systems, and Customs compliance systems. 
✅ Finally, you need to be a process specialist, as you need to understand how Customs compliance can be translated into operational processes involving a range of different stakeholders.

The Customs profession is one that demands many personal skills, curiosity, and resilience beyond a broad subject matter expertise. Congratulations to all our graduating students from DHL.