CBP Working to 'Sharpen Expertise,' Says Smith
PHOENIX -- CBP will establish a five year plan meant to "sharpen expertise" at the agency, said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade while speaking at the West Coast Trade Symposium on May 25. The plan is a response to retiring specialists within the agency as well as an ongoing modernization at CBP, she said. CBP will use a combination of virtual training, in-person courses, rotation "within CBP and other government agencies," and more interaction with industry, said Smith.
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Customs is "such a technical business" that "it takes a long time to build up skills and as people move onto the next phase of their life we need to make a concerted effort to retain and manage that knowledge," she said. As the agency becomes increasingly analytical and data focused, CBP also needs to work with trade employees to make sure there's knowledge of 21st century business practices, said Smith. Another part of that plan will be to make sure leadership within the agency maintains skills to effectively oversee CBP employees, she said. Use of ACE continues to grow, with "over 80 percent in terms of the amount of cargo transactions being filed in ACE" and over 98 percent of entry summaries filed in ACE, she said. That's a "phenomenal sea change" from where things were a year ago, she said.