Rail Training Conderence - Development of International Training in Asia

Development of international training in Asia; An efficient training as an example

Che-Bok, IM (a), Yong-Chon, HYON (b), Seung-Yong, LEE (c), Kyung-Hun, Kim (d), In-Chul, Beom (e) (a) Che-Bok, IM (b) Yong-Chon, HYON (c) Seung-Yong, LEE (d) Kyung-Hun, Kim (e)

Che-Bok, Im

Article Information Keywords:

K1, IRaTCA K2, Training system improvement K2, Cultural consideration K4, Asian Railways K5. PBL, PMP

Corresponding author: Che-Bok IM Tel.: +82-31-460-4516 (Mobile: +82-10-2765-2924) Fax.: +82-31-460-4516 e-mail: [email protected] Address: 374-1, Weoram-dong, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Abstract Introduction IRaTCA, International Railway Training Center for UIC Asia, opened in May 2008 at the request of Asian railways. In the first year, IRaTCA conducted 4 courses for 51 trainees. The training demand has been increased ever since its opening; IRaTCA conducted 5 courses for 69 trainees in 2009 and 7 courses for 104 trainees in 2010. IRaTCA is broadening its influence not only to Asia but to Africa. There are two key factors - training system development and cultural consideration to trainees - which have lead successful international rail training. We want to share the training experience, focusing on its systematic development, and to indicate the importance of cultural consideration in international training. Training process and its development Training course of IRaTCA consists of 3 stages – Pre, Main and Post Course. The purpose of the Pre Course is to give trainee general information of the course including theTeam project. The main Course is comprised of various programs like lectures, practice, technical visits, cultural exchanges, team projects, etc. For effective training, technical visits are closely organized with contents of lectures. The team project is voluntary learning to effectively cope with problems on trainees’ railways by taking advantage of what they learnt during the course. The purpose of the Post Course is to verify the effect of the Main Course by checking results of the Team project. IRaTCA has improved its training system over the last few years. Firstly, the training period is extended from 2 weeks to 3 weeks to give trainees various experiences. This action was implemented by analyzing trainees’ surveys. Secondly, a new method, PMP(Project Management Professional), has been added into the Team project to enhance the possibility of execution. Thirdly, In 2010 IRaTCA decided to have a multi-year training course to build a closer relationship between the content of training and the recipient country’s needs. Importance of cultural consideration in training IRaTCA mainly targets the region of Asia. Asian countries have diverse backgrounds - history and religion – which differ from that of Europe and that makes a big difference in culture. Hence, cultural difference has to be considered as a major factor for international training in Asia. There are two examples for cultural consideration. Firstly, having a cultural exchange. There is a cultural exchange session during a course. Participants in each country introduce their traditions, costume, folk songs etc. This program helps us understand each other and minimizes the culture shock. Secondly, using volunteers. We allocate 4 to 6 volunteers to a course. They spend the time with trainees and fulfill their needs in private. Thus, volunteers contribute to ease tension which participants can have whilst in a foreign country. Conclusion Asian Railways ask IRaTCA to play a main role in fulfilling their educational needs. In response to this, IRaTCA extended the period of a course and adopted PMP method in the Team Project. Cultural consideration is another key success factor in international training. It helps participants to have open minds and a flexible approach. Training is not only operating a system but also building a relationship. International rail training can reach a successful result by taking both these into consideration.

Che-Bok, IM et Al Development of international training in Asia

April 6th – 8th, 2011, Madrid,Spain Proceedings of the WCRT2011

1 Introduction The understanding of IRaTCA (International Railway

Training Center for UIC Asia) IRaTCA opened on 21th May, 2008 with the approval of

UIC. The establishment of IRaTCA, a representative railway training center in Asia, was proposed by a Vietnamese representative aimed at bringing collaboration amongst Asian countries through education and training programs. There was unanimous approval to open the training center in Korea – during the 2nd Asian railway summit in India on 21th May, 2007. The establishment of IRaTCA was approved at the 2nd UIC General Assembly in Paris on 6th

June, 2007.

IRaTCA was founded to develop Asian railway, to enhance international cooperation, to keep the spirit of the 1st

1.1 The outline of IRaTCA

Asian Railway Summit and to enable it to spread abroad. The main business objectives of IRaTCA are managing railway training programs for developing countries, conducting joint research and business, and hosting international railway events. Its railway training course mainly targeted countries of Africa and the Middle East, as well as the UIC Asian regional countries.

IRaTCA, an official international railway education institute, is aiming at reinforcing collaborative development of railway industry and promoting the capability of human resources in global railways. In order to achieve the aims, IRaTCA joins hands with many organizations abroad. International railway training programs of IRaTCA are also operated on the basis of this network.

The following diagram shows the network of IRaTCA.

2 Training system of IRaTCA and its improvement

2.1 The railway training programs of IRaTCA The training system of IRaTCA goes through 6 steps,

of which its training program process consists of 3. IRaTCA provides training courses such as Advanced Railway Operation, Rolling Stock and Railway Management, accommodating customized course service on the request of trainees. The expenses for training programs are supported by KOICA, UIC and KORAIL depending on the courses.

2.2 Training system The training system of IRaTCA goes through 6 steps,

which are; demand survey, course planning, course decision, selection of trainees, training execution and feedback.

The first step is conducted to analyze demands for railway education and field of interests of ANTC seminar participants in order to set up an annual plan for IRaTCA which gets financial support from UIC and KORAIL. A survey is carried out to calculate precisely the trainees’ needs. In case of training programs supported by KOICA The demand survey, related with the training programs supported by KOICA, was conducted by diplomatic service and Ministry of Transportation of the countries concerned.

During the process of course planning, an annual plan

of IRaTCA is set up on the basis of data gathered in the first stage. Consulting for operations and process is conducted by an advisory committee which is composed of experts in overseas business and training programs from KORAIL, KOICA, and Korea National Railroad College.

Designing programs and the selection of instructors are

completed after receiving confirmation from UIC, KOICA, and KORAIL during the course decision stage. Reports submitted for confirmation should include training course information such as course title, program content, budget and instructors etc.

In the stage of selection of trainees, trainees for KOICA

support programs are selected by KOICA overseas regional offices. In case of programs supported by KORAIL and UIC, IRaTCA invites trainees recommended by railway organizations of each country.

Training execution is comprised of 3 steps: pre-training

program, main training program, and post-training program. Background information for the training program is provided by online pre-training program. The main training program consists of lectures, practice, and technical visits for trainees. Trainees submit their final reports, and present them in the post-training program.

All reports of trainees are presented and receive

feedback from designated experts in the seminar so that this program can improve. The outcome of training programs is announced at the Asian regional assembly of UIC and ANTC seminar. IRaTCA e-News also plays an important role in linking trainees and IRaTCA by reporting the progress in recent training programs, and voluntary news from the graduate trainees.

Training process by Phase;

Pre-training Program

Main training Program

Post- training Program

About IRaTCA, Guideline and Basic information Country Report Team Project

→

Lectures, Field Trips & Practices Daily Reflections Team Project & Discussion(PBL Methods) Post-training Program

→

Final Report Seminar & Joint project Feedback



The training system consists of 3 steps: Pre-training program, Main training Program, and Post- training Program. Basic information, guidelines about the course, and what needs to be prepared by trainees are provided by an online pre-training program. The main training program is composed of lectures, technical visits, practice, and discussion so that they can find open-ended solutions to problems in their team projects. Trainees apply lectures and practices to real situations based on the participatory main training program, and present the outcomes.

2.2.1 Pre-training program At this stage, trainees receive on-line information such

as introduction of Korea, Korean railway organizations, curriculum information, and preparation for the course. In particular, introduction of preparation of materials such as data of their railway for the Team Project, which is commenced in the main course, are given.

2.2.2 Main training course. The main training course consists of an orientation

regarding training courses, country reports, lectures, field trips, cultural & technical visits, a team project, evaluation and workshop.

The lectures have 10~12 subjects over the basic

period of 3 weeks, which are divided into general and specialized subjects. The general subject is the current status of Korea railroad and the specialized subjects are the details about policy, management and technology.

The field trips help trainees to understand what they

have learned in the lectures through the direct experience and visits and to increase the effect of the training. Therefore, immediately after the lectures, it makes the training more effective to select the place closely related to them.

The cultural & technical visits are aimed at giving the

trainees good memories and a positive approach to Korea. The visits also help them to relieve the mental and physical fatigue from the training. Through the cultural experience, they can understand Korean tradition and history. They also visit leading conglomerates of Korea and experience the cutting edge technology of Korea.

The team project is a series of processes to find

solutions for problems the countries of the participants are facing, through discussion and with the help of advisers. The Problem Based Learning (PBL), method is used for them to find the solutions in the team project

2.2.3 Post- training course A post-training course is a process in which the

participants apply the team project and lectures they have experienced and learned during the main course to their railway field. The solutions they have found through the team project are applied to their situations. Subsequently, if they encounter any problems, they will invariably contact the advisers in order to solve them. And they upload the result reports on to IRaTCA website, iratca.korail.com. Through these activities, the participants remain in contact with IRaTCA, which allows them to learn technology.

2.2.4 The training courses The training courses of IRaTCA consist of railway policy & management, advanced railway, rolling stock, international logistics and the urban railway course.

Tab. 1 IRaTCA training courses Program Purpose Target Main subject

Railway policy & management

course

To Share national policy

for railway construction and efficient

railway management

plan

Railway manager Decision maker in

railway policy

Transportation policy, investment in railway,

strategy in Korea railway &

management, private investment, etc.

Advanced railway course

To share management

system of Korean cutting-

edge technology

Middle-management executive in

railway-related organization

The status of Korean railway operation Civil engineering, electricity, rolling stock, IT, R&D,

safety, etc.

Rolling stock course

To share technology and maintenance of Korean rolling

stock

Specialist in rolling stock

The status of Korean railway operation Outline of rolling stock technology

KTX & KTX-ll Special equipment

International logistics course

To introduce the status of logistics in

Korean railway and experience

advanced operation

Middle-management executive in

railway-related organization

The status of Korean railway operation Logistics policy in

Korea Inter-Korean railway Trans Asian corridor

Urban railway course

To share urban railway

technology and know-how for green growth

Decision maker in

railway policy of UIC

members

The status of Korean railway operation

urban railway plan, construction,

operation subsidiary enterprise

new technology

The railway policy & management mainly consists of

lectures and field trips pertaining to railway construction in the participants` countries. The advanced railway course provides the opportunities for them to learn cutting-edge railway system of Korea. The rolling stock course is prepared to give general information about diesel and electric locomotives and high speed trains to the specialists of the field. The international logistics course includes the overall contents about railway logistics of the Asian region and helps them to understand the inter-Korean railway. And the urban railway course includes lectures covering construction, investment and management in railway. In addition, courses can be customized according to the participants` needs.

2.3 Participants of IRaTCA Many participants from Asian, African and Middle-

Eastern countries take part in the IRaTCA courses. IRaTCA had 16 courses for 222 participants by 2010. The participants are railway managers and decision makers of railway policy on the railway policy & management, advanced railway and international logistics course, whereas they are engineers on the rolling stock and urban railway courses.

Tab. 2 IRaTCA training courses in 2010.

Course Period (Y.M.D) No. Country

Advanced railway course for Nigeria

2008. 3.2~4.4 15 Nigeria


2008. 6.16~7.4 14 Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri

Lanka


course

2008. 9.16~10.2 14

Mongolia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Egypt,

Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Congo, Gabon.




2008. 11.6~11.21 8

Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,

Cambodia, Congo, DR Congo Rolling stock

course 2009.

6.8~6.26 10 India, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan


2009. 2.12~2.27 17

Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri

Lanka, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Indonesia, Kazakhstan,

Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan Railway policy &

management course

2009. 5.7~5.22 15

Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Sudan, Angola, Uzbekistan, Kenya,

Congo, Pakistan Advanced railway

course for Vietnam 2009.

7.2~7.17 12 Vietnam

Urban railway course.

2009. 10.24~10.3

1 15

Taiwan, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan,

Korea Advanced railway

course for Vietnam 2010.

2.21~3.13 15 Vietnam,


course

2010. 3.30~4.17 12 Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri

Lanka, Afghanistan, India

Advanced railway course for the

Philippines

2010. 5.17~6.4 13 the Philippines

Advanced railway course for Algeria

2010. 6.10~6.25 18 Algeria

Advanced railway course for Mongolia

2010. 6.29~7.16 13 Mongolia

3 Cultural considerations Most of the participants to IRaTCA are from developing

countries of Asia and Africa. They are likely to be high-management executives in railway and transportation in their own countries.

The proper approaching methods are needed for the

participants to learn the advanced technology of Korea in order to develop their railways.

3.1 Considerations on cultural differences The IRaTCA course aims at spreading Korean railway

technology to the participants. Because they are from one or various countries, we have to give them historic and cultural consideration in order to make the course efficient.

The IRaTCA course is mainly divided into 2 parts,

which are country reports and cultural exchange. The country reports provide opportunities for the

participants to introduce not only the history of their countries, but also the past and present status and future plans of their railways. Through this time, they can get to know the background of each country and understand each other better. The subject of railways makes them feel unified.

The cultural exchange is an emotional time while the

country reports part is rational. During this event, they wear their own traditional costumes and introduce their own cultures such as folk song, regional product, etc. By taking a photo and singing the folk song together, they will understand and respect each other more.

3.2 Considerations of the economical gap between Korea and a recipient country

The purpose of International Railway Training is to show participants the knowhow and the technology of advanced railways and lead them to acquire the

knowledge of their railway policy and investment. Participants could however be reluctant when the content is delivered unilaterally. Thus, we have to consider the economical gap between Korea and recipient countries.

Given the participants in 2010 IRaTCA courses, the

average GDP of recipient countries is $2920(USD) and the average GDP of Korea is $20400(USD) in 2005. However, almost all participants are high-ranking officials in their organizations. Amongst them, 85.9% have bachelor’s degrees and 24.4% have master’s degrees. Therefore, we have to be mindful of the participants’ position and the status of their countries during the course designing stage.

Firstly, we have to make sure that participants do not

feel that their is a lack of respect towards their countries. Secondly, we need to design the training course as a two-way education in which they can use their background knowledge as much as they can.

In order to resolve the first issue, IRaTCA operates a

Volunteer system. 3 volunteers are invited to a course. They are always with participants as a guide, helper and friend so that participants feel respected. It helps them immerse into the training course by relieving their stress when visiting a foreign country.

As mentioned earlier, most of the participants are in

executive positions and also highly educated people. Hence, it is essential to make a two-way education environment to let participants use their educational background fully. To do this, IRaTCA designed the course by applying EAT theory which can boost participants’ spirits. In other words, we induce participants to compare Korea Railway and their Railways and voluntarily apply the new knowledge to the Team Project by distributing Experience (Technical visit), Awareness (Team Project) and Theory (Lecture) into a training course in balance.

For example, the 3 week scheduled training course

generally consists of 30 hour lectures, 20 hour technical visits related to the lectures and 10 hours self-access such as the Team Project for the participant oriented study.

3.3 Considerations on the composition of countries

It is important to consider the composition of participants’ countries if there is a multinational training course. There are possibilities of hostility towards other countries due to historical and diplomatic backgrounds. Thus, an appropriate composition of countries has to be taken into account prior to the course. For example, in the 2010 Advanced Railway Operation course which targets SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) members, participants from Pakistan sent notice of absence because there was hostility between Pakistan and India. It indicates how important it is to consider the relationship between participants’ countries.

4 Satisfaction survey analysis Participants take a survey at the end of a training

course. The content of the survey is categorized into two parts – satisfaction part and achievement part. The satisfaction part has factors of participant, lecturer, content, course designing, facility and recommendation. In



the achievement survey, participants grade their achievement after the course in comparison to the past in terms of knowledge, technology and attitude factors. Furthermore, we receive their recommendations for better training.

4.1 Outline of the survey

4.1.1 Information of respondents - Target: participants of IRaTCA courses in 2010 - Volume: 89 samples - Age: 30s ~ 50s - Duration of course: 3 weeks - Surveyed courses;

Advanced Railway Operation for Vietnam Railway Policy and Management for SAARC

members Railway Operation for the Philippines Railway Operation for Algeria Advanced Railway Operation for Mongolia

4.1.2 Content of the survey sheet The Survey sheet is composed of satisfaction part,

achievement part and recommendation part. The satisfaction part is composed of participant, lecturer, content, course designing, facility and recommendation factors. In the achievement part, it compares the participants’ knowledge before and after, as well as, technology and attitude. The survey is graded using a 10-point scale standard.

4.1.3 Analysis tools SPSS V12.0 and Excel 2007 programs were used for

the analysis.

4.2 Data Analysis

4.2.1 Analysis on satisfaction figures

Tab. 3 Rates on satisfaction figures

Content &

designing

Lecturer

Participant

Facility Others

Recommendation

Average

9.4 9.53 9.23 9.53 9.48 9.69 9.48

Graph. 1 Rates on satisfaction figures

The average satisfaction rate is 9.48. It means that participants are relatively highly satisfied with the IRaTCA training course. Lecturer and facility figure have higher rates but, participant figure has a relatively low rate. This means participants’ eagerness for the course is low in comparison to other figures. Asked whether the course is recommendable, participants graded high, 9.69, which means participants think the training course is worth recommending to their colleagues.

4.2.2 Analysis on achievement figures - Before: how was your ability before taking this course? - After: how is your ability after taking this course?

Tab. 4 Rates on achievement figures

Classification Before After Achievement

Knowledge 5.70 8.91 3.21

Technology 5.53 8.69 3.16

Attitude 5.99 9.03 3.04

Average 5.74 8.87 3.13

Graph. 2 Rates on achievement figures

Analysis on achievement shows changes in

participants’ knowledge, technology and attitude. Participants were graded 5.74 before the course and 8.87 afterwards. So, the average improvement is 3.13. In particular, participants had the best achievement in knowledge(3.21↑) and technology(3.16↑) and attitude(3.04↑) as follows.

4.2.3 Recommendations of participants - Duration of the course: 3 week schedule is too short - Number of participants: ask IRaTCA to invite more participants - Food: Consider menu for vegetarian, Muslim and Buddhist - Culture: want to visit Korea’s historical sites - Other: would like to participate in the course with my family These are noteworthy recommendations of participants.

Most of them can be classified in two ways – program development and cultural consideration. Therefore, we have to consider not only the system of training program but also cultural conditions and circumstances.

9 9,2 9,4 9,6 9,8

Content & designing

Participant

Others

Average

9,49,53

9,239,53

9,489,69

9,48

02468

10

Before

After

Achievement



5 Conclusion In the content of the training, we have to consider the

improvement of the training course which can stimulate trainees. It can be accomplished when we clearly catch trainees’ needs and adapt it into the course.

Cultural consideration is as important as development

of the training system. Above all, it is important to respect recipients’ countries and their trainees. A training manager has to reflect on the philosophy of respect in the training system.

In the case of the development of the training system,

IRaTCA extended the training period from 2 weeks to 3 weeks and adapted PBL and PMP methods into Team Project. In the case of cultural considerations, IRaTCA also placed much emphasis. For examples, IRaTCA has adapted the Cultural Exchange, the Country Report and the Volunteer System in order to narrow the cultural differences gap. Furthermore, IRaTCA has designed a well balanced curriculum, which consists of lectures, the technical visit and the team project, in order to make a interactive learning environment.

Training is not only managing a system but also

building a relationship. In the future, International rail training can attain the successful result by considering these two factors - the development of training system and the cultural consideration.

References [1] Dong-Sik, Shin, Plan for overseas business of KR. 2009 [2] KORAIL, Benchmarking report for UIC SIAFI training program. 2008 [3] Woo-Suk, Lee of Jeju Hanra University, Understanding of PBL method. 2004 [4] Ho-Kwon, Cho, Plan for IRaTCA establishment. 2007

Documents

Rail Training Conderence - Development of International Training in Asia