Originally announced by the government in October 2019, the scheme represents an additional round of funding for employee training and IT improvements for customs intermediaries, traders and hauliers that make customs declarations to help them prepare ahead of Brexit.
Robert Keen, Director General of BIFA, the trade association for UK freight forwarding and logistics companies, warns: “Applicants only have until January 17, 2020 to register with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is administering the grants for HMRC; applications close on January 31, 2020, or earlier, if funding is fully allocated.”
BIFA says that the grants could be used to support a business that is extending and taking on new staff, or to help train an existing employee to start completing customs declarations for the company. Training can be delivered by an external provider or an in-house trainer.
The scheme is intended to help support the extra demand for customs brokerage services associated with the UK’s departure from the EU. Keen adds: “Increased capacity in this sector will be important, whatever the nature of our future relationship with the EU.”