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Lifelong learning – Korea's strategy for standards education

by Kaphong Choi

With the acceleration of globalization and the development of information technology, the influence of standards goes beyond economic growth to also encompass national development and the life of individuals. Standards promote international trade and national economies, while helping to increase social efficiency and individual pursuit of a comfortable and safe life.

Perhaps this is why so many national, regional and international standardization organizations are striving to increase awareness of the field. One expression of this trend is the expanding number of educational programmes on standardization promoting economic development and enhancing national competitiveness.

In recognition of the increasingly important role of standardization, the Korean Standards Association (KSA) has established a variety of advanced education programmes on standardization. As seen in Figure 1, these range from the on-site education on standardization for primary schools, the Standards Olympiad for teenagers, to the university education programme on standardization (UEPS). It also includes the standards skills programme, the ISO, IEC and JTC 1, training programme for industry and the awareness workshop for consumers.

Figure 1

KSA is responsible for overall operation of these comprehensive and systemic programmes, from development to implementation. In addition, KSA is working to raise awareness of standardization in order to develop human resources. This article will focus on the on-site education on standardization for primary schools and the ISO, IEC and JTC 1 training programme for industry.

From ABCs to standards

While the term standards is widely used, it is not always easy to define, as standards are vaguely perceived as something technical and therefore difficult to understand. In this context, KSA launched the on-site education on standardization for primary schools to show children that standards are a part of everyday life – and that they make our lives safer and easier.

Standards experts visit primary schools as guest teachers to inform children about standards governing measurements, shapes and performance through various practical activities using batteries, plastic bottles and mobile phone chargers. The teacher lectures on the concepts behind standards based on a textbook that describes cases easily found in students’ daily lives.

After the class, children fill in a questionnaire. The following is an example of the most common kind of response: “Standards are unnoticeable like air, so we didn’t know what good they were. But now we know that without standards, life can be very uncomfortable.”

On-site education on standardization for primary schools was inaugurated in 2008; 2 400 children from 24 primary schools participated in the first half of 2009 alone. Registration for the second half of 2009 is complete, with 2 500 children from 22 primary schools scheduled to take part.

Industry training programme

While the Republic of Korea has grown to become the world’s 11^th largest economy in terms of trade volume, its international standardization activities lag behind overall economic development. KSA launched the ISO/IEC JTC 1 training programme for industry to improve quality of life as well as revitalize the domestic economy.

This programme is divided into three courses at basic, advanced, and leader level in accordance with the demand and experience of trainees, who learn about the importance of international standardization, procedures for the development of standards, and strategies for international standardization meetings. Each course runs for one or two days, during which time the lecturers, who are ISO and IEC committee chairs, secretaries and working group convenors, share their experience and know-how in international standardization.

This training programme is a good opportunity to raise industry awareness of the crucial roles of ISO, IEC and JTC 1. As a result, the number of Korean experts participating in the development of International Standards and activities of ISO technical committees (TC) and subcommittees (SC) has increased. Since 2005, around 500 people have participated in these training courses.

Korea currently has about 90 ISO/TC and SC chairs, secretaries and working group convenors involved in ISO, IEC and JTC 1. We hope to cultivate more Korean standards experts who will contribute to the development of global society.

Everyone benefits!

As seen in Figure 1, the Republic of Korea has prepared life-long education programmes on standardization for everyone. For example, the Standards Olympiad for teenagers provides secondary school students with a practical opportunity to experience the convenience of standardization. In this competition, students find out how to solve inconvenient cases stemming from lack of standardization. They also learn about the diverse functions of standards, such as simplification and increased compatibility by simulating standardized products with their own hands.

KSA also runs the university education programme on standardization (UEPS), which provides basic standards education and trains university students to be future experts in the field. (See ISO Focus, November 2007) Educational programmes such as the awareness workshop for consumers are also available.

Other countries around the world have implemented programmes suited to their own needs and circumstances. We believe that Korea’s life-long standards education programme contributes to international standardization and benefits the global society.