The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) once again collaborated with the Singapore Cooperation Program (SCP) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)- Singapore to organize the program on the Industry Revolution 4.0: Leadership Training Program on September 26-30, 2022. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as some classes, were held in the conference rooms of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). The 5-day event also included study visits to Nanyang Polytechnic.

The program was attended by 21 representatives from CPSC member countries, as well as participants from Antigua & Barbuda, Brunei, Malta, Morocco, Serbia, and Zimbabwe. Overall, a total of 28 TVET experts attended the program.

The 5-day course was designed to introduce Singapore’s industry 4.0 transformation journey in TVET and explore Singapore’s approach to developing human capital and supporting the workforce to pick up new skills and prepare for new opportunities.

In addition, the program allowed the participants to gain a good understanding of Industry 4.0 and identify the gaps and areas of work that require adaptation and change. They were also trained to use the Singapore Smart Industry Readiness Index to identify the gaps and transformation needs and develop the digital transformation roadmap for their respective areas of work to embark on the country's digital transformation, “Industry 4.0”.

Prof. Wickramasinghe giving his special lecture on “Staff Development for Promoting 21st Century Skills in TVET”

The program was jointly supervised by Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe, CPSC Director General, and Ms. Eleanor Kang, Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Programs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ms. Mary Manjelique Garcia, CPSC Training Assistant, accompanied the participants during the whole duration of the program.
The participants were welcomed in an opening ceremony on September 26, 2022, in which they were introduced to the program organizers and briefed about the activities for the next five days. Aside from the program supervisors, the event was attended by Mr. Bruce Poh, Chief Executive Officer of the ITE Education System (ITEES), and other key officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Topics such as “TVET Partnership with Industry for Industry”, “Developing a Successful TVET System- The Singapore Experience, “Management of the TVET College”, “TVET Infrastructure and Learning Environment Innovation”, “Transforming TVET, Transforming Lives, the ITE Experience”, “ITE Journey of Excellence: Outside in and Inside Out” and “Smart Teaching to Prepare Students for the Digital World” were some of the lectures that were delivered by a team of competent professionals from ITE.

The participants of the program during a lecture in the ITE Campus

To further enhance the learning experience, the program also included actual study tours to ITE Campuses all-around Singapore, particularly their Colleges of Creativity and Innovation and Enterprise and Innovation. A visit to the Nanyang Polytechnic was also embarked on.
The closing ceremony held on September 30, 2022, invited notable officials from the SCP, MFA, and CPSC. The participants expressed their appreciation to the organizers for showcasing Singapore’s experience and hope to replicate these innovations in their home countries. They also commended the organizer’s efforts in successfully organizing the program as they look forward to future exposure visits in Singapore and other member countries.


The participants’ during their numerous visits to ITE’s learning facilities

In another highlight of CPSC’s successful mission in Singapore, Prof. Wickramasinghe also paid a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Headquarters on September 28, 2022, in which he was able to meet Mr. William Tan, the Director General of the Technical Cooperation Directorate, as well as Ms. Eleanore Kang, Deputy Director of Asia-Pacific Programs. He also visited the Ministry of Education (MoE) where he was able to meet Ms. Lian Hui, Assistant Director of International Relations at the International Cooperation Branch under the Planning Division. His visits strengthened CPSC’s familiarity with MFA and MoE and enabled both entities to further discuss common issues concerning Singapore’s continued support of CPSC’s programs.

The participants’ at the courtyard of Nanyang Polytechnic campus