RTC Zimbabwe

ZIMRA TRAINING CENTRE AS REGIONAL TRAINING CENTRE FOR WCO – ESA

Background

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Training Centre is a regional Training Centre for East and Southern Africa (ESA) region and is housed within ZIMRA at 1^st floor Kurima House, 89 Nelson Mandela Avenue. It was established in September 2001.  It is an accredited WCO Regional Training and E-Learning Centre. The ZIMRA Training Centre offers in-house training services and occasionally training to outsiders as well. It is the first port of call for every technical officer who joins the Authority as a Revenue Trainee.

Vision

To be a Centre of excellence in customs training, research and professional development.

Mission

To provide world class customs training and development services through acknowledged experts based on professionally designed programmes with focus on regional and local priorities and WCO standards.

Motto

Serving with Excellence

Objectives

To develop quality training programmes that will meet the organisation’s goals and have an educated client.

Role as a Regional Training Centre (RTC)

• Development of regionally relevant training (Capacity Building).
• Maintenance of specialist trainer pools
• Provision of specialist training at a regional level – Centre of excellence for the Revenue Package
• Provision and support of the WCO’s Blended Learning programme.
• Planning and coordination of training and development programmes.

Status

• WCO accredited E-Learning Centre – October 2009.
• WCO Centre of excellence (Revenue Package)
• Six functional and equipped Computer Laboratories.
• Member of the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) – as from June 2011.
• A regular member at PICARD conferences.
• A structured 2 year Traineeship Programme in place for Revenue Trainees (Also Internship Programme in place).
• Planned Monitoring and Evaluation process in place.
• A Training Curriculum, Policy and Strategy in place.
• A well functional Library, provision of e-books in progress.

RTC Programmes

• RTC Zimbabwe has been actively participating in the Capacity Building agenda regionally and internationally.
• Participation in SADC Management Development Programme (MDP).
• Assistance rendered to other Authorities in the region e.g. Lesotho Revenue Authority and Botswana Unified Revenue Services.
• Scheduled PCA and HS Workshops
• Scheduled Valuation and Transfer Pricing workshops
• Attendance at WCO Capacity Building meetings.
• Attendance at Tripartite Capacity Building meetings

Training Programmes

• Training and development follows a structured Annual Training Calendar.
• Well-structured Mentoring Programmes for Customs Trainees.
• Training Curriculum includes a Research project to be submitted at the end of the 2 year traineeship.
• Coordination of Scholarship Programmes available to staff studying Revenue related disciplines.
• Financial support offered to ZIMRA officials studying with ESAMI (MBA in Customs Management), University of Canberra and NUST Fiscal studies programmes.

Training Deliverables

• Awareness of training and coordination of programmes emerging from relevant bodies such as the WCO, WTO, SADC, COMESA, AU and other international bodies.
• Delivery of WCO training
• Provision of assistance/expertise to fellow member countries
• Provision of WCO on-line training (e-learning) and ICDL

Responsibilities

The Head, Human Capital Development, who reports directly to the Deputy Director Human Resources and Human Capital Development is responsible for all training and is assisted by Chief Training Officers, Training Officers and a Librarian.

Accreditation with HEXCO

In 2014 the ZIMRA Training Centre registered with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development as a Technical Training Institute. It offers training in Customs, Taxes and related Soft Skills courses.

Revenue Traineeship

Revenue Trainees undergo a training program for two years in Customs and Taxes, which functional areas form the core of the business of ZIMRA. These modules are done at Intermediate Level (Level 1) and Advanced Level (Level 2). The training program covers both in-class and on-the-job (mentoring).

Apart from technical courses, ZIMRA Training Centre offers non-technical (soft skills) training to staff members. Refresher technical courses are also offered to technical officers so as to close performance gaps which may arise due to changes in legislation and technology.

The traineeship program covers the following examinable subjects:

Workshops/Meetings Hosting/Attendance  

• ROCB-RTC meetings
• Valuation Expert Accreditation Workshop
• SADC Training on Tariff Classification
• WCO AEO Workshop
• SADC Tariff Classification workshop.
• RSG meetings
• WCO PCA Workshop
• Revenue Package course covering HS and Valuation.
• WCO ESA ToT program participation
• WCO ESA ToT facilitation
• WCO VCOA tutorship
• Launch of WCO ESA Mauritius RTC

RTC Achievements

• Accreditation as a WCO E-Learning Centre.
• Launching of a BCom and MSc in Fiscal Studies at NUST.
• Technical assistance to Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS)
• Accredited WCO Trainer (Valuation).
• Two accredited WCO HS expert trainers
• Hosted WCO workshops

WCO ESA Regional Workshop on HS Infrastructure Support/Train the Trainer Approach – 20-24 April 2015

Twenty-two (22) mid and senior level officers from Burundi (1), Kenya (1) Mauritius (1), Mozambique (2), Namibia (3), South Africa (2) and Zimbabwe (12) were trained on the theory and practice of tariff classification. The facilitators were Mr. Ed de Jong a WCO resource person and two accredited HS experts from the region namely Ms. Julianah Munongi (Zimbabwe) and Mr. Selleck Mapfeka (Zimbabwe). The objective of the workshop was to support the core team of trainers to deliver technical seminars on the application of the Harmonized System as well as RTC Zimbabwe in strengthening its training capacity on HS classification to become a Centre of Excellence in the area of classification in the East and Southern Africa (ESA) Region, and, overall in support of the WCO “Revenue Package (Harmonized System (HS) pillar)”, to help members in the ESA Region improve the efficiency and effectiveness of revenue collection in compliance with rules, standards and guidelines laid down in relevant international agreements, conventions and supporting tools and instruments, including the WCO Council Recommendations.

Here are some past Trainings and Workshops

• WCO ESA HS Workshop
• MORE PICTURES…

Click here to visit the official RTC Zimbabwe website.