Khon Kaen, Thailand – June 2016 

With support from the Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MRCF), Mekong Institute (MI) has successfully conducted a two-week training on “Certified Logistics Master program” from May 23 to June 3, 2016. The training aimed to improve cross-border and trans-shipment logistics services through capacity development and accreditation of local logistics providers. 

A total of thirty participants of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand representing government agencies of transport, private trucking companies, freight forwarding companies, and logistics associations attended the training. 

Dr. Watcharas Leelawatch, Executive Director of the Mekong Institute, made remarks that the project is the very first project funded by the MRCF under the Mekong-ROK Cooperation framework and that it has signified the improvement of trade and investment connectivity in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) economic corridors, and contributed to capacity development for trade and logistics services providers. 

Ms. Kang Hyo-sung, First Secretary to Embassy of Republic of Korea in Thailand, addressed at the opening ceremony that ROK government supports ASEAN and GMS’s potential growth in the light of ASEAN Economic Community by the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Framework. She emphasized the importance of the continued cooperation with MI in supporting the GMS region’s human resource development and capacity building activities. 

Attending the training program, the participants gained knowledge and skills from external and internal resource persons, co-participants, and structural learning visits (SLVs) on ASEAN and GMS transport agreements, financial management, dangerous goods, human resource development, green logistics, warehousing management, and IT-aided supply chain management. 

Beside the in-class activities, SLVs were organized in Khon Kaen, Mukdahan in Thailand and in Savannakhet, Lao PDR that provided the participants with opportunities to learn and exchange information and experience with CPF North East chill distribution center, Mukdahan customs houses, Savannakhet customs house, and Sovannakhet special economic zone. 

On the last training day, the participants took an exam and prepared for individual action plans to disseminate the knowledge and skills they gained from the training to their own work places. Total 30 action plans on trucking cost management, freight forwarding profit improvement, information collection, knowledge sharing, warehousing management, and human resource management were selected and presented. 

During their Action Plan implementation, the project team will provide the participants with onsite and online technical support and assess the work progress to ensure an effective implementation of the action plans from June to August 2016. 

The participants are required to attend the Synthesis and Evaluation workshop in September 2016 to share the best practices and lesson learned from action plan implementation, and to be assessed for the “Logistics Master” Certification.