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ADVANCED INSTITUTE FOR SUPPLY CHAIN RESEARCH (AISCR)

Vocational Training Centre of AISCR (VTC-AISCR)

Prepared for submission to the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MINEFOP), Republic of Cameroon

Course Description

This Professional Diploma extends the AISCR Advanced Professional Certificate in International Trade and Customs Compliance into research-grounded senior practice. Building on the certificate’s customs, freight forwarding, documentation, and trade finance competencies, the Diploma develops the financial acumen, elective specialisation, and independent applied-research and workplace capability required of senior trade, customs, and freight-forwarding leaders. Learners complete a compulsory financial management unit, a free-choice elective, a substantial Capstone Research/Consultancy Project addressing a live international trade or customs compliance challenge, and a supervised workplace practicum.

Course Duration and Credits

Specification Details
Qualification Level Level 3 (Professional Diploma), AISCR-NPQF
Duration 12 Months, delivered on a blended basis, following completion of the prerequisite Advanced Professional Certificate
Entry Requirements Successful completion of the AISCR Advanced Professional Certificate in International Trade and Customs Compliance (L2-J), or an equivalent qualification recognised through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Foundation (Carried Forward) L2-J — International Trade and Customs Compliance: 34–35 Credits, already earned at entry
New Diploma Credits 35–37 Credits (Compulsory Unit + Elective + Capstone + Practicum), within AISCR’s standardised 30–40-Credit band for new content at each qualification stage
Cumulative Credits 69–72 Credits on exit (Foundation + Diploma)
Delivery Mode Blended — in-person or virtual contact days combined with guided self-directed study and workplace practicum, delivered in English and French
Award AISCR Professional Diploma in International Trade and Customs Management

Course Outline

The Diploma builds on the 34–35-Credit foundation already earned in L2-J - International Trade and Customs Compliance, which is recognised on entry and not retaught. New Diploma-level content comprises a compulsory financial management unit, a free-choice elective, a Capstone Research/Consultancy Project, and a supervised workplace Practicum.

Foundation (Recognised on Entry, Not Retaught): L2-J - International Trade and Customs Compliance (34–35 Credits). Full unit-level detail for this Advanced Professional Certificate is set out in the corresponding AISCR Level 2 qualification specification.

Compulsory Diploma Unit

Compulsory Unit (F1): FINANCIAL AND COST MANAGEMENT FOR PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSIONALS + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis to a sourcing decision.
  • Prepare basic cost and budget estimates for a procurement requirement.
  • Apply should-cost modelling to a supplier quotation.
  • Interpret basic financial statements relevant to supplier evaluation.
  • Apply cost-benefit analysis techniques to a procurement decision.
  • Build a simple business case with cost justification.

Free-Choice Elective — Choose 1 of 4

Learners choose one of the following four units, each drawn from the AISCR Level 1 Qualification Catalogue, to broaden their competency beyond their core specialisation.

Elective Option (D1): SUPPLY CHAIN LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply appropriate leadership styles to different team situations.
  • Lead a team through a defined change initiative.
  • Apply stakeholder engagement techniques.
  • Manage team performance and development conversations.
  • Apply delegation and empowerment practices.
  • Manage resistance to change and build team motivation and morale.
Elective Option (D3): SUPPLY CHAIN GOVERNANCE, ETHICS AND CORPORATE COMPLIANCE + Click to expand Duration: 3 contact days | Credits: 5 | Notional Learning Hours: 50

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply corporate governance frameworks to supply chain decision-making.
  • Identify and manage conflicts of interest.
  • Apply corporate compliance and anti-bribery/anti-corruption principles.
  • Support internal governance reporting requirements.
  • Apply ethical decision-making frameworks and whistleblower-protection principles.
  • Identify governance risk indicators and basic compliance-programme components.
Elective Option (B5): SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYTICS AND DIGITALISATION + Click to expand Duration: 5 contact days | Credits: 7 | Notional Learning Hours: 70

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Apply data visualisation principles to build spend and performance dashboards.
  • Interpret common procurement and supply chain KPIs.
  • Apply digital analytics tools to a procurement dataset, including data-quality and cleaning basics.
  • Interpret spend analysis reports.
  • Present data-driven recommendations to stakeholders.
  • Use analytics to support sourcing and operational decisions.
Elective Option (C6): SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT + Click to expand Duration: 4 contact days | Credits: 6 | Notional Learning Hours: 60

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Identify common categories of supply chain risk.
  • Apply risk-assessment tools and matrices to a supply chain scenario.
  • Apply business continuity planning basics.
  • Develop risk mitigation and contingency plans.
  • Monitor supplier and risk indicators on an ongoing basis.
  • Communicate risk to stakeholders and build supply chain resilience.

Capstone Project & Supervised Workplace Practicum

Capstone Research/Consultancy Project — International Trade and Customs Management + Click to expand Engagement: Independent research/consultancy work, AISCR-facilitated research methods workshops, and panel defense | Credits: 12 | Notional Learning Hours: 120

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this component, learners will be able to:

  • Formulate a well-defined research or consultancy question addressing a live international trade, customs, freight forwarding, or preferential-trade compliance challenge.
  • Conduct a structured literature and practice review relevant to the chosen problem.
  • Apply appropriate research or diagnostic methods to gather and analyse evidence from the practicum placement or a comparable organisational context.
  • Develop actionable, evidence-based recommendations for the host organisation or sector.
  • Produce a professional-standard capstone report meeting AISCR’s academic and presentation standards.
  • Defend the capstone project’s methodology, findings and recommendations before an AISCR review panel.
Supervised Workplace Practicum + Click to expand Engagement: Minimum 3-month supervised workplace placement | Credits: 12 | Notional Learning Hours: 120

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this component, learners will be able to:

  • Apply classroom-acquired competencies to real workplace tasks under professional supervision, in a customs house, clearing and forwarding agency, importer/exporter trade desk, or trade-promotion body.
  • Maintain a structured practicum learning log documenting tasks, decisions and reflections.
  • Meet performance expectations set jointly by the host supervisor and the AISCR practicum coordinator.
  • Identify and propose improvements to at least one real customs, freight forwarding, or trade-compliance process within the host organisation.
  • Receive and act on structured feedback from a workplace supervisor.
  • Prepare a final practicum report summarising achievements against the practicum learning plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

Formative Assessment

  • Class participation and attendance for the Compulsory Unit and Elective (minimum 80% attendance required).
  • Individual assignments and case study analysis for the Compulsory Unit and Elective.
  • Capstone research proposal and progress reviews.
  • Practicum learning log, reviewed periodically by the AISCR practicum coordinator.
  • Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) documenting achievement of each component’s Learning Objectives.

Summative Assessment

Conducted across the Diploma year to evaluate learners’ overall achievement of strategic, research and workplace competencies.

  • Written examination for the Compulsory Unit and Elective.
  • Capstone Research/Consultancy Project report, evaluated against AISCR’s academic and professional standards.
  • Capstone defense presentation before an AISCR review panel.
  • Practicum performance evaluation, jointly assessed by the host workplace supervisor and the AISCR practicum coordinator.
  • Final practicum report.

Learning Resources

Recommended Textbooks

  • Export/Import Procedures and Documentation - Thomas E. Johnson and Donna L. Bade.
  • International Logistics: The Management of International Trade Operations - Pierre A. David.
  • WCO Revised Kyoto Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures - World Customs Organization.
  • AfCFTA Rules of Origin Manual - African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat / African Union.
  • Research Methods for Business Students - Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill.
  • Business Research Methods - Alan Bryman and Emma Bell.

Supplementary Resources

  • AISCR Capstone Research/Consultancy Project Handbook and practicum placement guidelines.
  • Sample capstone proposals, research ethics checklists, and panel defense rubrics.
  • AISCR practicum learning log and supervisor evaluation templates.
  • Case studies and field material from AISCR’s African and international engagements, including AfCFTA and CEMAC trade-facilitation policy briefs.

Delivery Methods

  • Onsite Training: face-to-face lectures, practical sessions and hands-on training for the Compulsory Unit and Elective.
  • Online Training: virtual classrooms, webinars, interactive modules and online assessments.
  • Workplace-Based Learning: supervised practicum placement with a host organisation, coordinated by AISCR.

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