Thailand: Automobil und Lebensmittel im Fokus der beruflichen Bildung

Vocational education panel set to focus on automobile, food sectors

Almost 190,000 skilled labourers needed to work in 14 industries in the next two years

Recognising the particularly high demand for qualified vocational graduates in some specific industries, such as the automobile and food industries, the Vocational Educational Commission has vowed to pay special attention to those fields.

"We will also focus on producing more welders and entrepreneurs," Chaipreuk Sereerak, the secretary-general of the panel, told a recent Forum.

Thavorn Chalassathien, chairman of the Human Capacity Building Institute of the Federation of Thai Industries, said 14 industry groups would need 187,960 skilled workers by 2017.

Of these vacancies, 50 per cent are for factory mechanics, 20 per cent for people working in related branches, 10 per cent for people working in the electric and electronic field, 10 per cent for those working in mechatronics and 10 per cent for those working in the printing field.

"To respond to the labour market's needs, we have already worked with colleges run by the commission to organise dual-educational programmes," he said.

During the past three years, more than 20,000 enterprises and over 200,000 students have joined the dual-educational programmes.

Players behind the country's vocational education services and employers are also planning to develop career paths and set clear skill standards for vocational graduates, who can then be assured that they will have good career prospect and reasonable pay.

Vocational graduates could get paid based on their skills, not their educational Level.

"We are in the process of developing skill labour standards and related tests. We believe these tests will be able to accurately determine test-takers' skills and allow them to get the wages that suit their capabilities," he said.

According to entrepreneurs, welders with three years of experience can now earn up to Bt40,000 a month.

The institute had planned to reform teaching for vocational colleges and schools to ensure that teachers have the skills and knowledge needed to produce quality human resources for Thai industries.

"At the very least, they need training with new equipment in the industries," he said.

Business had also been seriously improving the skills of vocational graduates through various programmes.

"We have put them in the programmes that require them to learn super high skills. We have also sent them to global skill contests," he said.

The commission is pushing for a Bt29-billion project to award 11,500 scholarships for technicians and practice-oriented graduates.

"We are in the process of seeking the Cabinet's green light. If approved, the project will be implemented over a period of 15 years," Chaipreuk said.

The project would allow vocational students and graduates to improve their skills both in Thailand and beyond.

The commission's efforts have already started to deliver dividends.

"We have already managed to boost the number of vocational students," he said.

This year, vocational students reached 202,410 - higher than the target of 178,538 and up from only 160,590 last year.

"We're going to position vocational graduates as specialists who build the nation," he said.

Suvimol Jiwaluk, vice director of corporate communications at Siam Cement Group (SCG), said the SCG Foundation in 2013 launched the "Specialists…Makers of the Nation" project in the hope of creating a skilled workforce that is not just vocational personnel but also the driving force behind the development of the nation.

"We have offered scholarships to those who wish to continue their education in vocational and high vocational levels," she said.

The focus on vocational education is not unreasonable since statistics show more than 139,000 bachelor-degree holders were jobless in April.

As for the formation of the state-public subcommittee for vocational personnel development, there are 26 participating groups working on a development strategy for production and personnel development, cooperation revolution, vocational graduates progress revolution, skill development and information.