International Recognition for University of Canberra's Centre for Customs and Excise Studies
The Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at the University of Canberra has won acknowledgment as an international centre of excellence, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Customs Organization.
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the MOU, signed yesterday, acknowledged the CCES as a world-class provider of customs training, education, advice and research.
"CCES, which has twice won Chief Minister's export awards in the ACT, is a great example of a Canberra-based business that has achieved international recognition," he said. "The centre has established a global reputation for strengthening the organisational capability of customs and excise administrations in many parts of the world, and this expertise has now been formally recognised by the World Customs Organization, which wants a long-term strategic alliance with the centre."
Mr Stanhope said that the international acknowledgment of the centre was another instance of the depth of expertise that could be found in Canberra's universities and research institutions.
"Canberra's export of its knowledge industries is proving to be a key factor in the city's growth, again demonstrating how valuable Canberra's universities are to the city," he said.
The MOU was signed at the headquarters of the World Customs Organization in Brussels by the CEO of the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies, Professor David Widdowson.
The first of its kind in the world, the centre delivers online, on-campus and overseas postgraduate programs. The centre also operates as a commercial arm of the University of Canberra, providing consultancy services and a broad range of non-award programs.
In 2004, the centre received the ACT's Chief Minister's Export Award for outstanding achievement in services and in 2005 was the recipient of the Chief Minister's Award for outstanding export achievement in education services, facilities, expertise and curriculum.
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2 March 2006