Codatu’s training expertise
Through its involvement for over 40 years in transport and urban mobility projects in cities of the South, CODATU has been able to observe that there is a lack of specialised university courses in the field of urban transport and mobility in many countries of the South, whereas there is a growing need for technicians, managers and decision-makers trained in the challenges of urban mobility.
CODATU, in partnership with research and training institutions and its members, has therefore been offering specific courses on urban mobility in cities in the South for several years. The association’s expertise lies in its ability to identify, in conjunction with local partners, the need for skills enhancement, to design and implement teaching models, to mobilise teachers and experts with experience in the urban mobility sector in the South, and to ensure that the training matches the expectations of local players.
Through these training activities, CODATU wishes to develop the know-how and expertise of its local partners, in order to bring out the skills and experts who will be able to lead future sustainable urban mobility projects in the cities of the South, and train the next generations. CODATU’s investment in training activities is in line with the values and issues promoted by the association and set out in the Dakar Declaration.
More generally, CODATU’s training objective can be summed up as follows: ‘To contribute to development by supporting the implementation of training programmes tailored to local needs and contemporary challenges, with a focus on sharing experience to facilitate the development of skills and the transfer of knowledge to players in the South, while considering their employability in the short and medium term’.
CODATU’s training activities
Over the last few years, CODATU’s training activities have diversified to meet the needs expressed by its partners in the South. The association now offers general awareness-raising training, in particular through MOOC- type distance learning courses, short courses (which can lead to certification) to enhance the skills of professionals on specific subjects, and Master’s level programmes, in both initial and continuing education.
Overview of courses developed by CODATU :
- Master 2 ‘Transport and urban mobility in Africa’ in Lomé
- Master 2 ‘Transport and sustainable mobility’ in Rabat
- MOOC Urban Mobility in Africa
- MOOC Electrification of paratransit services
- Short course ‘Road safety management in Dakar’
- Short course ‘Professionalisation and modernisation of paratransit’ in Antananarivo
Personalised courses in urban mobility
Through its training activities, CODATU aims to facilitate the transfer of expertise and increase the skills of its partners and players in cities of the South in the field of urban mobility. As needs vary depending on the context, urban mobility projects and local know-how, CODATU offers a wide range of training courses, focusing in particular on the following themes:
- Governance of urban mobility
- Financing urban mobility
- Linking transport and urban planning
- Designing intermodality in an urban mobility system
- Regulating and monitoring the operation of public transport services
- Professionalisation and integration of paratransit
- Operationalisation and management of a Mobility Organising Authority
- Road safety management
- Electrification of urban transport services (including paratransit)
- Building an urban mobility observatory
Training courses are tailored to the availability of participants (evening classes, short intensive courses), technical facilities (face-to-face, distance or hybrid training) and the budgets available to beneficiaries. In some cases, these courses lead to a diploma (certificate, Master’s degree) and/or ECTS credits.
Based on an identification of the skills expected at the end of the course, CODATU develops the teaching modules in collaboration with the course beneficiaries. The teaching is then carried out by members of the CODATU team, partners and members of the association according to the targeted themes. Wherever possible, CODATU works with local or regional partners to ensure that the teaching content is adapted to local conditions.
CODATU’s training partners
CODATU relies on a number of partners to offer training courses that are best suited to the challenges of urban mobility in the South. Educational engineering and graduation programmes are offered in collaboration with training establishments such as Senghor University, the AFD campus, the National Institute of Urban Planning, the African School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and RéMUD member establishments.
CODATU also draws on the expertise of its members (training establishments, consultancies, transport operators and manufacturers, local authorities, associations and foundations, etc.) and its international network of experts to offer high-level technical training tailored to the skills needs identified with the beneficiaries of the training.
