The World Customs Organization (WCO) has launched its first ever state-of-the art pilot of the Executive and Professional Competency-Based Human Resource Management Programme (EPCB-HRMP), which was hosted by the South African Revenue Service (Sars).
This programme was developed in part due to the WCO’s capacity-building committee’s endorsement of the competency-based management approach to EPCB-HRM as an international best practice. It was designed following a tiered approach and aims to equip and empower HR managers in member administrations with competencies and tools to manage strategically HR through the application of modern, competency-based HRM tools and approaches.
A total of 20 HRM directors and professionals from eight countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region attended this five-day pilot which was the first part of a two-week face-to-face approach. Prior to this week, participants were requested to carry out a self-assessment of HRM systems in their Customs administrations using Part A of the People Development Diagnostic Tools and they completed successfully the three E-Learning courses including: Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Principles, gender and diversity management, and integrity.
Participants developed a deeper understanding of the competency-based HRM approach and all were unanimous in their belief that this programme will add value to their organisations as strategic partners in creating efficiencies and in augmenting their results-based management.
Participants committed to a regional approach in submitting work plans and in the development and the endorsement of an HRM strategy aligned with the corporate strategy and the competency-based HRM tools, with pre-established timelines to ensure they are prepared and committed to the second half of this pilot scheduled to take place in early summer 2020.
Story by: Riaan de Lange