South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Trade and Export Academy - Application Form

Overview

Overview

This Trade and Export Academy is supported by the Department for the Economy and delivered in partnership with the South Eastern Regional College (SERC). It will provide up to 15 individuals with the skills to take up Customs Specialist roles with one of the supporting companies: Derry Bros and Allied Group. Please see the linked document for a job description for the role of Customs Specialist. This job description provides an overview of the job role and outlines the skills that participants will be expected to have by the end of the academy in order to take up one of these roles - Customs Specialist Job Description

The academy will be delivered primarily in person with site visits to employment settings.

All candidates will complete training relevant for the job role of a Customs Specialist that includes:

• CMI Level 3 Award in Project Management
• Customs Declarations Service (CDS) training

The academy training will develop sector relevant skills in business, strategy and leadership, digital trade systems and customs procedures and documentation. The academy provides a combination of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and real-world experience required for effective practice within the sector.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

South Eastern Regional College will invite eligible applicants to attend an online information session and interview that will take place week commencing Monday 17 August 2026.

TRAINING

Successful applicants must be able to attend eight weeks of intensive training at South Eastern Regional College's Bangor campus starting Tuesday 1 September to Friday 23 October 2026. Training times are 9:00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

• Participants will be paid a £185 weekly training allowance while in training.
• Participants will be paid reasonable travel expenses covering their return journey from their place of residence to the college while in training.
• Participants may be eligible for assistance with childcare costs while in training.

Essential Criteria

• minimum 5 GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and Maths
• a willingness to learn and develop specialist knowledge
• team player with a proactive approach to problem solving
• strong attention to detail
• good written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Criteria

• level 3 qualification

Applicants must:

• be at least 18 years old
• have a right to work and to undertake Assured Skills Training in the UK at the point of application
• not be disqualified from doing either by reason of their immigration status.

Applications are welcome from everyone who meets the essential criteria and are particularly welcome from persons returning to work from a period of caring for their children or other family members.

Those who successfully complete Assured Skills Academies are guaranteed a job interview with supporting companies. Base salaries are in the range of £30,000 - £32,000.

**Applicants should be aware that the companies may apply additional right to work criteria at point of employment and a job offer is not guaranteed. 

The job roles available are not eligible for skilled worker sponsorship.**

Applications Open

If you have a disability and require assistance in completing this form please email Assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk or by telephoning 028 9041 6972.

Correspondence Regarding Your Application

All correspondence relating to your application will be via email from assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk. It is your responsibility as applicant to act as required within the given time frame.

Email whitelisting helps ensure that important messages from known senders won’t end up in the spam folder.

To whitelist the assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk email address, you may wish to:

• Open your email client and navigate to the settings.
• Find the option to create a new filter or add a new contact.
• Add the email address assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk as a known contact/safe sender
• Save the changes.

The exact steps may vary depending on the email client you are using.

If you do not receive an email about your application by 18 August 2026 please contact assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk and put SERC Trade and Export Academy in the subject line.

To find out how we manage your information please see privacy notice below:

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/assured-skills-academies-privacy-notice

If you wish to make a complaint about the Assured Skills programme, please email assured.skills@economy-ni.gov.uk or telephone 028 9041 6941.