Grab your sandwiches, because Lunchtime Learning is back for another season.
Last year, trade and customs experts from the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) held a series of training sessions on a variety of different topics: from high-level talks about the future of UK freeports, to skills development workshops on how to communicate effectively, to the benefits of trading with Latin America and West Africa.
For this semester of talks, we’re focusing on the technical questions that many IOE&IT members have raised and the problems traders encounter on a regular basis.
Starter for ten
IOE&IT trade and customs specialists will be on hand to lead members through these topics.
The season kicks off on 21 September with Sam Hodgkins discussing the importance of establishing an internal compliance programme.
Hodgkins said:
“A lot of firms miss out in building their first line of defence against breaching sanctions. Having your own programme can save a lot of time and stress later on, so I think our members could benefit from this session.”
Later on, 5 October sees Williams give a session on the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), to update members on upcoming changes to the way goods are moved across the UK border and provide guidance on some of the documents required.
Technical topics
Lyn Dewsbury will take us through the benefits of customs warehouses on 19 October, weighing up the pros and cons of the process, before Laura Williams returns to teach members about inward and outward processing relief.
Williams said of her Lunchtime Learnings:
“I’m looking forward to both of my webinars. They include different topics that traders need to learn about.
“BTOM is an upcoming system that all businesses will eventually need to have an understanding of, whereas inward and outward processing relief is something that many companies already have access to, but perhaps need further guidance to fully take advantage of. Both sessions offer something different, so I’m excited to see what our members think about them.”
Dewsbury hopes that members will use her session to understand the costs and benefits of customs warehousing to boost their business and international trade.
“It’s a really underappreciated aspect of trade for a lot of businesses,” she said, “and I hope my session gives some of our members the chance to learn what customs warehousing is all about and if their business can use it.”
Compliance
To finish off the semester, Roger Marshall will host a session on product compliance on 30 November.
Speaking about the importance of his session, Marshall said:
“This topic is quite a tricky one for a lot of traders. Since Brexit, a lot of businesses need to understand their responsibilities throughout the entire supply chain. So many products now have additional requirements; anything from wood, to chemicals, to food… the list goes on.”
Lunchtime Learning sessions are exclusively for IOE&IT members, who can sign up here.
To explore the benefits of IOE&IT Membership, non-members can click here.