For the third time, the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) together with Busan Foundation for International Cooperation (BFIC) have conducted the 2022 Busan Global Training Program on Digital and Infrastructure Transformation on Engineering, Design, and Pedagogy in TVET: Smart City Transportation with ITS Model in Busan from November 14 to 18, 2022. This program was conducted online via Zoom platform and was attended by a total of sixteen (16) TVET professionals from CPSC member countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Organized as one of the key Regional Programs of CPSC this year, this training served to be the first phase of the two-part program being implemented by CPSC-BFIC. The second phase is planned to be conducted face-to-face in Busan, Korea sometime in the first half of 2023. This program was designed to improve TVET capacity of the participating member countries to operate and manage an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) through the practices and experiences of South Korea.
The program was jointly supervised by CPSC Director General, Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe and BFIC Secretary-General, Mr. Chung Jong-pil. Included in the program organizing committee are: (from BFIC side) Dr. Kyung-sin, Yeon, Director of ODA and Training Department; and Ms. Sookjeong, Eom, Program Organizer; (from CPSC side) and Ms. Arlene Cruz, Program Coordinator. Ms. Min-ji, Kim, Busan Transportation Information Center Officer; Dr. Hoekyung, Kim, Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Dong-A University; and Prof. Choi Jae Won, Professor, Department of Engineering, Korea Road Traffic Authority served as the resource persons throughout the weeklong training.
During the first day of the program, a quick orientation was facilitated by the program organizers presenting the guidelines and schedule for the coming days. The OnCOURSE System (Learning Management System) was also oriented to the participants. During the second day of the training, when the opening ceremony was conducted, Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe graced the participants and shared some words of encouragement and good luck. He also extended his gratitude and appreciation to the BFIC team for continuing to collaborate meaningful programs with CPSC. On the other hand, Mr. Chung Jongpil, through a video message, expressed his support to CPSC and wished for a successful program.
Part of the training program was the sharing of brief country situations on the transportation system of the participating countries by the participants. The presentations per country included a briefer on the political, economic and sociocultural status of the country. Emphasis on specific data and information such as traffic accident status, public transportation usage rates, intelligent transportation system management, and parking space management were also included in the country reports.
Lectures that were presented by the resource persons focused on case studies and showcasing of how the government of Busan is able to efficiently manage its intelligent transportation system. As one of the busiest and largest cities in Korea, its public transportation system remains one of the most innovative and convenient systems in the world. The Busan Transportation Information Center representative explained mechanisms being implemented by the local government, including management of traffic systems, road safety measures, and smart transportation, including hybrid vehicles as modes of public transportation.
The closing ceremony was conducted on November 18, 2022 and was attended again by key officials from CPSC and BFIC. The last part of the training program included brief presentations by the participants on their crafted action plans for their respective country’s transportation system, incorporating solutions to current challenges using models that were discussed in the training.
