Customs Broker Course Scholarship
Introduction
Star USA offers a Customs Broker Exam Course Scholarship to educate future Customs Brokers in the ever-evolving regulatory landscape of international trade.
Customs Brokers fill a key role in the communication chain between government agencies and importers. They bring knowledge of the rules and regulations, as well as the experience to navigate complex systems on behalf of their clients. They help companies successfully maintain compliance and avoid penalties.
In order to get a license to be a customs broker, a person has to pass a 4.5-hour, 80-question open-book exam. Offered twice annually, the Customs Broker License Examination (CBLE) has one of the lowest pass rates of professional exams in the country, averaging a pass rate of approximately 20%. Our rigorous training course helps open the doors of opportunity to those seeking to enter this dynamic and vital field.
About Peggy
Like many who find themselves in the world of trade compliance, Peggy stumbled into customs brokerage almost by accident. While working at a freight forwarder, she was assigned to the import desk, learned about the CBLE and took it - passing to become the youngest female Licensed Customshouse Broker in the country. After getting her license, she realized that information sources were lacking and her colleagues and clients were often under-informed on trade regulations.
She began teaching a course to help individuals prepare for and pass the CBLE. She taught her course in-person and remote for more than 30 years. Her students would go on to work Fortune 500 companies, elevate their career prospects, and even start their own Customs Brokerage businesses. Peggy's course was built around training first-rate brokers who not only passed the exam but had achieved excellence in their commitment to compliance.
During that time, Peggy continued working in the field as it evolved over time, eventually through the 1993 U.S. Customs Modernization Act and the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 1996 Peggy formed Star USA, Inc., a company that was built on principles of education and skill development. The goal was to help others navigate the shifting regulatory landscape and create a support system for people often siloed without any other compliance experts. Her CBLE prep course continued with Star USA and it persists today with the same spirit that Peggy first envisioned. The Star USA Customs Broker Course Scholarship extends this opportunity to one qualified individual each year.
Peggy currently resides in Northeast Ohio with her family, always willing to help support the company she built as it continues to grow and succeed.
About the Customs Broker Course Scholarship
In our commitment to making the CBLE more accessible, we are offering free attendance to the Star USA CBLE Prep Course to one applicant. The Customs Broker Course Scholarship recipient will need to purchase their own paper copies of reference materials, as needed, and pay the CBLE exam registration fees.