Thirteen (13) new Officers will now join the Solomon Islands Customs and Excise Division (SICED) workforce after having completed the “Customs New Recruit Induction Program,”. The new recruits received their Certificates of Completion on Friday the 18th of July.
The induction training program ran from March 03rd to July 18th, 2025. It aims to provide participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform base level Customs functions in the key operational work areas of Customs.
The course consists of 10 weeks of classroom-based training and 10 weeks of On-The-Job (OJT) placements for practical based learning and development in areas such as revenue assessment, classification and valuation of commodities in the Customs Long Room, cargo examinations at the seaport and Henderson examination facility and passenger processing at Henderson International Airport.
As of Monday, this week, all 13 new Officers have been deployed to various sections within the Customs and Excise Division.
Speaking at the official closing program, Mr. Peter Hughes, Comptroller of the Customs and Excise Division (SICED), congratulated the trainees on successfully completing the Induction program and commended the trainers for prioritising these essential courses for these recruits.
“Well, firstly, congratulations on your achievements. It’s a great achievement. And congratulations to the trainers and the administrators who have developed you,” Mr. Peter Hughes also urged the participants to fully utilize what they had learned from the training, to use the knowledge and skills, and to make use of their time and opportunity when working with Customs.
I urge you just to think about your goals and aspirations. Have a career plan and what you want to do. Have a plan and go for it.
“So, what I will say is that change starts with you.
“You’ll get the opportunity to go out to the workplace, and you’ll see good officers doing good work and practising good things.
“That’s what you need to embrace, good behaviour not bad behaviour” Mr. Hughes stressed.
“One thing you all have at the moment is your integrity. If you lose that, it is difficult to get it back.
“So, keep your integrity. And good luck in the future. And well done on achieving your success so far,” Mr. Hughes concluded.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the cohort, a representative from the participants Mrs. Cindy Karaori, expressed heartfelt appreciation for the opportunity to attend the training.
“This training has given us clarity and valuable insights that will guide us in our day-to-day work.
“As Customs Officers, our actions must always reflect the core values and principles of the Customs and Excise Division and our commitment to serving the Government and people of Solomon Islands.
“Let us carry with us the values we learned here. Honesty, respect, teamwork, and professionalism. Let’s be the kind of officers that the people of the Solomon Islands can trust and be proud of,” she urged.
This is the Customs 5th Batch of recruits since the approval of the new administrative structure increasing the staff establishment from 100 to 172 over a five-year period. The new officers were recruited by the Customs and Excise Division, in accordance with the Public Services recruitment procedures, processes, and strict guidelines.
Solomon Islands Customs and Excise Division is fully committed to protecting government revenue and ensuring the accountable and transparent implementation of government policies in the interest of economic empowerment and national stability, and development.
