Ministry to launch volunteer projects to ease graduate unemployment

 

 

Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation has set aside 8.6 billion baht to help tackle unemployment among university graduates, the number of whom will reach 500,000 in the next four months.

 

HESRI Minister Suwit Maesinsee said yesterday that the ongoing trade war between US and China has impacted Thai industries and the employment situation, with about 370,000 university graduates unable to find work, and that number is expected to grow to over 500,000 when the new batch of about 300,000 graduates leave their campuses.

 

The 8.6 billion baht budget will fund the Nation-Building Youth program. This will be split into three projects, namely the graduate volunteer project, the Pracharat volunteer project and the Start-up Youth Enterprise Fund.

 

Mr. Suwit said that the projects are expected to provide temporary jobs to 10%, or about 50,000 jobless graduates.

 

The bulk of the fund, about 8 billion baht, is allocated for the graduate volunteer project, modelled after Dr. Puey Ungphakorn’s graduate volunteer program. Applications are open at all universities to new graduates and those who graduated in the past three years. The work duration is 12 months and the monthly pay ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 baht. The successful applicants will be required to work in rural areas for about a year.

 

500 million baht is allocated to the Pracharat volunteer project, which will target third and fourth-year students. About 10,000 students are expected to be hired to work with villagers in rural areas for 4-5 months, or one semester, and each will be entitled to allowances of 5,000 baht a month.

 

The pilot Pracharat volunteer project will be launched in December in Kalasin, one of the three poorest provinces in Thailand. 500 student volunteers will be split into groups of 8-10 to work with rural folk in their communities, so they can use their classroom knowledge to help solve villagers’ problems.

 

The third project, the Start-up Youth Enterprise Fund, enables students to work with university personnel in developing local products for start-up enterprises.

 

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/ministry-to-launch-volunteer-projects-to-ease-graduate-unemployment/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-11-14

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2 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

HESRI Minister Suwit Maesinsee said yesterday that the ongoing trade war between US and China has impacted Thai industries and the employment situation, with about 370,000 university graduates unable to find work, and that number is expected to grow to over 500,000 when the new batch of about 300,000 graduates leave their campuses.

Could the real reason be that more and more employers are coming to realize that most Thai university degrees are worthless in preparing students for a career

I doubt these kids went to uni with the intention of earning 10-15 K a month working in a rural setting, and I suspect many will scoff at the idea, but experience is important, and accepting such a position may show up very favourably on a CV once their stint is up. I hope it works out for those who give it a go.

 

But I have to laugh at seeing the usual finger pointing by the Thai gov't, blaming the US and China for impacting unemployment numbers significantly in Thailand. I doubt it's made much difference. 

8 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

Could the real reason be that more and more employers are coming to realize that most Thai university degrees are worthless in preparing students for a career

Arguably unless someone has a specific skill hiring someone with a degree better than no degree.

 

I think a large part of these students will be tertiary liberal arts and degrees such as in communications. But especially from marginal universities. There really are only about 15 decent universities in Thailand. Thai standard. That business school in outer Nakon Sii Thammarat maybe not.

11 minutes ago, Inn Between said:

I doubt these kids went to uni with the intention of earning 10-15 K a month working in a rural setting, and I suspect many will scoff at the idea,

I agree, and it seems it's only 5000\month

it's just ridiculous

''About 10,000 students are expected to be hired to work with villagers in rural areas for 4-5 months, or one semester, and each will be entitled to allowances of 5,000 baht a month...''

50,000 employed @ B5000 / month for 5 months is nothing like B 8.6 billion, lots to be ripped off by the look of it. 

13 minutes ago, Artisi said:

50,000 employed @ B5000 / month for 5 months is nothing like B 8.6 billion, lots to be ripped off by the look of it. 

The Provence chief district chiefs sub district chiefs and village chiefs all need their money

Daughter of a friend of ours completed her 'education' with her 'degree' as a Physicist last year.   She is now 31 years old and has never worked, lives with Mum etc and try as she may she could not get a job anywhere in the country.    She was one of fifteen who came out with the same degree and all fifteen are now working in 7-Eleven's, Tesco Express's, Cafe's or Markets.   Seems to me that they are pumping out people with all the wrong skills !

What, exactly, do they think sending new graduates to a poor village is going to achieve? Baby sitting?

15 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Daughter of a friend of ours completed her 'education' with her 'degree' as a Physicist last year.   She is now 31 years old and has never worked, lives with Mum etc and try as she may she could not get a job anywhere in the country.    She was one of fifteen who came out with the same degree and all fifteen are now working in 7-Eleven's, Tesco Express's, Cafe's or Markets.   Seems to me that they are pumping out people with all the wrong skills !

Been happening for years in Oz after Paul Keating decided everyone should go to Uni.

The standard joke says what does an arts graduate say to an engineering graduate....would you like fries with that.

At the same time the apprenticeships were being shunned. Sheer stupidity. Funny thing is now self employed plumbers and electricians can and some do literally make a million.

2 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

What, exactly, do they think sending new graduates to a poor village is going to achieve? Baby sitting?

For sure (Knowing a little bit how it works in the rural villages) they are going

to have some fun on the both sides.

 

Woopeedoo, Down to the countryside.

Well, they can’t work anywhere else with the quality of education they received 

It is not just in Thailand where thousands of graduates end up flipping burgers and doing other low paid work because of the lack of jobs to match their hard-won skills. It's a global problem - and one certain to worsen as the robotics and AI revolution displaces millions of white, as well as blue collar, workers.

 

With university fees rising and no guarantee of a decent return on the investment, no wonder so many youngsters are opting out of higher education and unversities here and around the world are struggling to survive, let alone prosper.

 

The harsh reality which hardly anyone seems willing to face is that a  global education system, originally created to drive the Industrial Revolution, has become totally unfit for purpose and is crying out for a massive makeover.

 

Who needs costly campuses and the rest of the educational paraphanalia when the technology is available for anyone who wishes to take a university course in the comfort of their home?

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Redline said:

Well, they can’t work anywhere else with the quality of education they received 

Depending on how they look maybe soi 6 ????

I hire about 10 - 15 Thai graduates per year.

 

But I will never hire a This graduate from a Thai university - they are useless.

 

Thai's returning from Western Universities not only have a good education, but improved English, appreciation for Western values and work ethic and infinitely more motivated than playing on Line all day.

 

Rural village work?...still unqualified.