Commercial Training

and Development
Curriculum

BCCC Update
May , 2015
 Purpose

• To share the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA’s) findings and

proposed recommendations for the Commercial Training and Development
Curriculum.

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 Background Summary

• The lack of available commercial training and development opportunities is

an ongoing challenge for CBSA employees in the commercial continuum.

• In March 2014, CBSA employees voted “developing our workforce” and

“employee mobility” as the top two (2) Border Modernization ideas.

• This gap was identified as one of the CBSA’s Commercial Program Integrity
items for fiscal year (FY) 2014-2015.

• As a result, the Agency has committed to developing a Commercial Training

and Development Curriculum that will ensure all employees who work in, or
with the commercial continuum have access to the right training when and
where they need it.

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 Curriculum Action Plan

An action plan was established and approved by CBSA senior management in

August 2014.

Key steps included:

• Step 1: Conduct a training needs analysis. (Completed)
• Step 2: Review existing training material (internal and external) to determine
if they address identified needs. (Completed)
• Step 3: Map out the curriculum by employee type and prioritize needs not
addressed by existing material. (Completed)
• Step 4: Re-design the in-service curriculum and present recommendations.
(Completed)

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 CBSA Survey Results

• A survey was delivered to managers and employees across the Agency in

2014.

• For both survey groups, Commercial Fundamentals was the lead training
need identified.

• Results indicated that participants preferred methods of training delivery

with traditional classroom being the lead preference, followed by
coaching/mentoring, peer-to-peer, then online or eLearning.

• A similar commercial training survey was carried out by the CBSA’s Pacific
Region, with 210 respondents came to similar conclusions.

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 Employee Level Internal Survey:
Who we talked to
• The survey was sent to 291 employees across the country.
• 222 responded resulting in a response rate of 76%.
• 15% of respondents were located at HQ and 81% in the Regions.

Duties performed related to commercial programs:

50% 47%
43%
45%
40% 33%
35%
30% 23% 24%
25% 20%
20% 17% 16% 17%17%
14%13%
Mode(s) worked in or with:
15% 11%
6% 7% 8% 6% 8%
10% 3%
5% 2% Air 36%
0% Marine 26%
Rail 25%
Land 54%
Postal 9%
Courier 28%
All 22%
Not applicable 17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

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 Manager/Supervisor Level Internal Survey:
Who we talked to
• The survey was sent to 96 individuals ranging from superintendents
to directors.
• 72 responded resulting in a response rate of 75%.
• Survey participants were asked to identify training and development
gaps and needs for their employees.

Work location of respondents:

Human Resources Branch 2%

Corporate Affairs Branch 0%

Information Science and Technology Branch 2%

Operations Branch 84%

Programs Branch 13%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

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 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) Results

• The Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) aims to measure employees’

opinions in relation to employee engagement, leadership, the workforce,
and the workplace.

• Since the last survey conducted in 2011, training as well as support and
career development is still a concern for CBSA employees.

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 External Consultation

• In 2014, the Agency also conducted a consultations with external

stakeholders.
• Questions were sent out to the BCCC Steering Committee to:
– solicit views on areas where they believe specialized knowledge/skills are required and/or
should be enhanced.
– identify opportunities to partner or leverage existing training.

• Responses were received from the Canadian International Freight

Forwarders Association (CIFFA) and the Canadian Society of Customs
Brokers (CSCB).

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 Training Needs and Gap Analysis
A review took place in order to establish a robust gap analysis for the commercial
continuum which consisted of outstanding needs and gaps analysis previously identified
in risk assessments, audit and evaluation findings, and commercial training.

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 Training Needs and Gaps

• Based on the review of the CBSA training and the 31 key areas identified
the gaps identified weighed in at 52%, whereas in comparison, 48%
represented a need.
– A gap identifies areas flagged as a requirement, in one or more source documents, in which
a CBSA course is not available. A need identifies a requirement, in one or more source
documents, with a CBSA course available.

• Key areas identified as gaps and needs centered on:

– A commercial fundamentals course for all staff, systems based training (ACROSS), and
specific processing issues, such as, Trusted Traders.

• In addition, the competency and delivery based areas identified:

‾ Analytical skills, note taking and report writing, targeting, specialised training (focused
training on specific areas) and consistent delivery across the Agency.

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Review of Existing Training Material
(Internal and External)

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 Review Existing Training Material
(Internal and External)

• Within the current CBSA catalogue of commercial course offerings, 148 of

the existing courses align with the current needs and gaps analysis.
– A detailed crosswalk of existing training material in conjunction with courses offered by
external stakeholders was developed and is being.

• For the majority of gaps identified by the survey there are CBSA courses
available, though some would require an update based on policy and
process changes.
– 14% of the courses have been identified for development in-house.
– 79% require building upon. 7%
14%
– 7% have been identified as possible partnerships.

Build

Build On

Buy

79%

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Map Out and Prioritize the Required Curriculum
To begin the process of mapping out and prioritising the required curriculum the CBSA
began by benchmarking the career and training frameworks of other Customs and border
management organizations.

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Other Customs and Border Management Organizations
Training
• The CBSA has reviewed and analysed the following customs and border
management organization training methodologies:

• New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS)

• The European Union (EU) Customs Competency Framework for

Customs Professions

• United States Customs and Border Protection

• Australia Customs and Border Protection

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 CBSA Implementation

• The CBSA is looking at the NZCS and WCO models as a base to refine and
implement a CBSA Commercial Learning Path.

• The CBSA would also include the front line and policy/operations
components of the commercial continuum for a holistic approach to meet
the needs of:
– A flexible and relevant commercial training and development curriculum that includes the
appropriate delivery platform (classroom, coaching, social learning, online).
– Just in time training and learning.
– Increased access to quality, bilingual and cost effective learning everywhere and at any time
in Canada and abroad.

• The proposed platform caters a blended approach including training, e-

learning, coaching/ mentoring, peer-to-peer learning

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 CBSA Implementation

• Commercial training and development will base itself on the three employee
types within the CBSA:

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 Recommendations
The CBSA has identified four (4) key recommendations for the Commercial Training and
Development Curriculum moving forward.

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 Recommendation 1 - Improving Commercial Training
and Development Delivery

• To efficiently manage time and resources within the Agency by focusing on

a modular form of delivery that would allow for a customizable approach to
training where employees and management can select training in single or
groups of modules.

• The new learning environment will ensure that CBSA employees have the
required skills to perform their roles and are able to acquire the knowledge
needed to progress in their careers.

• Implementing an effective learning program, will enhance the Agency’s

capability to build a skilled, well-trained and professional workforce.

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 Recommendation 2 - Enhancing Accessibility to
Commercial Training Opportunities, Resources and
Best Practices
• Develop a central location for commercial training information that is
accessible to all CBSA employees. Not only does the training need to be
accessible, the curriculum requirements based on job type should be
available and easily communicated.

*Theoretical model of adaptive training delivery, adapted from Steve W. J. Kozlowski Learning, training and development in organizations, ed.
Steve W. J. Kozlowski and Eduardo Salas (NewYork: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2010)

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 Recommendation 3 - Developing Flexible Training
Paths
• Allow employees to crossover from their existing position, whether it be a
regional enforcement position to a headquarters policy based position or
another OGD to the CBSA.

• For example, the CBSA has seven (7) distinct areas that require a multitude
of skill sets, training and development.

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 Recommendation 4 - Leveraging Partnerships with
External Stakeholders
• Piloting and evaluation of external training material to build on and leverage
best practices.

• Review the material provided by external clients to determine if it meets the

needs of the CBSA outright or can be used as a base until internal products
are developed.

• Explore with interested members a module on Customs to Business

Partnerships and the mutual benefits in securing and facilitating the
commercial stream.

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 Next Steps
• Once the recommendations have been approved the
CBSA will develop an action plan for the Fiscal Year
2015-2016 Commercial Training and Development
Curriculum deliverables.

• The CBSA would like to engage BCCC members in the

development of a working group to pilot and explore
areas of partnership for training moving forward.

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