PM Yingluck pushes for boost in workforce for mega-projects

[webfact]

PM pushes for boost in workforce for mega-projects
PATCHAREE LUENGUTHAI
THE NATION
MYANMAR



BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered that three working groups be set up to oversee development of vocational education in preparation for her government's Bt2-trillion and Bt35-billion mega-projects.

Chaipreuk Sereerak, secretary-general of the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, said that after a meeting on September 27, Yingluck said these working groups were urgently needed to supply vocational personnel, come up with funding for vocational study and reform the vocational-education system.

The National Economic and Social Development Board will act as secretary of the first two reform groups under the National Education Council.

Chaipreuk said that since the government was waiting to kick off its mega-projects for transport infrastructure and flood control, there was an urgent need for the commission to produce a workforce that meets the requirements.

It is estimated that the projects will require about 100,000 personnel with professional and high-professional certificates in the field of construction over the next three years. However, all the vocational colleges put together are only able to produce 6,000 persons a year.

To meet the goal, the commission is required to produce up to 50,000 professionals with construction skills in the next two years.

"The commission has to create specific programmes and training courses in response to the demand, particularly in road and rail construction," Chaipreuk said.

"Besides boosting student enrolments every academic year, the commission will also expand supply through retraining and upgrading skills. For instance, students studying in other fields such as agriculture will be encouraged to study construction, while technical workers will be offered courses to upgrade their skills."

In terms of funding, Chaipreuk said the commission planned to propose that scholarships be included in the terms of reference in bids for the transport-infrastructure and water-management mega-projects.

The private sector will also be asked to help produce workforce by supporting on-the-job training for students. The government will also be asked to allocate a central budget for enhancing the capabilities of vocational education in terms of teachers and learning tools.

"I believe the obvious career path and high incentives will attract more students to study the construction programmes," Chaipreuk said.


-- The Nation 2013-10-10

[BoonToong]

Eye protection?

Edited October 10, 2013 by BoonToong

[NongKhaiKid]

Looks like all we are going to hear from her are ' mega projects ' no doubt hoping that it will keep focus away from all that's gone and going wrong with ordinary issues such as the rice pledging scheme which has gone so wrong it's far from ordinary.

[bkkgriz]

Eye protection?

Don't worry, they are wearing industrial flip-flops.

[Phuket Stan]

Wish I could keep my shirts that clean

[stubuzz]

If they want profesionals to lay eneven bricks, or build roads that last untill the first heavy rainfall, the project will be a success.

[hhiser]

http://www.amtechmachine.com/images/Mazak%20Quick%20Turn%2028%20CNC%20Lathe.JPG

Love the picture used for the article. Those lathes are so old. How are they expected to acquire a professional or a high professional certification using these?

[pookiki]

Big push in workforce = more migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos!

[slapout]

Just another attempt to point out a unsolvable problem for the nitwits in charge, that is going to present itself with the kickoff of another government scheme. The next step is to throw billions for a fast track education of a nonexistent work force (less than 1% unemployment)???? into a non functional, low productive mass of people via a system that will take 60+_ off the top via middle men, commission, tea money and corruption.

Another train wreck is approaching which may make the rice and like scams look like a learning experience for the implementation of a grand final, for the rape and pillage of the country.

[siampolee]

Wonderful idea, however such projects take time to bear fruit and of course they require that the participants are actually educated enough with real pass grade marks to actually understand what they are doing too

A three year time scale is mentioned and that would be the basic time frame needed to enable those trained personnel to grasp the skills they are training for thus enabling them enter a semi skilled work force.

On the job training/

Well that is the norm in the industrial world, sandwich courses are an invaluable learning process in both hands on practical experience and the theoretical experience are learnt and implemented thus the person involved in the process learns quickly and efficiently as the outcome of their decisions and actions are there for all to see and learning is an ongoing development process.

However we need to remember that the greater majority of Thai employers do not use nor do they approve of on the job in house training as they fear that those employees they train will depart from their employment to a better paid employment elsewhere within their field of expertise once their training is finished. This labour mobility was the case in the U.K. in fact it was the norm to move on once one had completed ones apprenticeship with ones employer.However the process was effective as the skilled labour pool moved in its own way and yet firms always had skilled qualified labour on the payroll.

However when one reads the proposals regarding the funding and the implementing of the project it does indeed seem to be a somewhat haphazard in is ideas as to how, what and when, the financial aspect is clouded as well, I am of the opinion that this project will go the same way as the rest of the governments ideas all governments past and present I hasten to add, gutted financially and a total failure due to the fact that there is no true concept of training and education because no one can fail as it constitutes a loss of face

Edited October 10, 2013 by siampolee

[gemini81]

Just another attempt to point out a unsolvable problem for the nitwits in charge, that is going to present itself with the kickoff of another government scheme. The next step is to throw billions for a fast track education of a nonexistent work force (less than 1% unemployment)???? into a non functional, low productive mass of people via a system that will take 60+_ off the top via middle men, commission, tea money and corruption.

Another train wreck is approaching which may make the rice and like scams look like a learning experience for the implementation of a grand final, for the rape and pillage of the country.

Man, everything they touch turns into a disaster-except touching banknotes, which turns up into their overseas accounts. I know the previous leaders weren't world class leaders by any means, but they were certainly more competent that PTP.

[h90]

deleted....answered the wrong place....

Edited October 10, 2013 by h90

[h90]

http://www.amtechmachine.com/images/Mazak%20Quick%20Turn%2028%20CNC%20Lathe.JPG

Love the picture used for the article. Those lathes are so old. How are they expected to acquire a professional or a high professional certification using these?

Old lathes are good for some basic learning.....

We have two guys who recently finished engineering education, supposed to learn CNC.

The "University" has 1 Emco CNC lathe. And they told over the years they never saw it turned on.

The learned CNC turning from the book only and they learned what every button means.

They did not write one single program.

They never saw a CNC machine running, and of course never operated one.

What a nonsense!!!

[h90]

Eye protection?

Eye protection would be needed.

But they wear the yellow cap for what? If the hair is short no reason for it unless the roof is so bad that bricks falling down.

[siampolee]

Old lathes are good for some basic learning.....

We have two guys who recently finished engineering education, supposed to learn CNC.

The "University" has 1 Emco CNC lathe. And they told over the years they never saw it turned on.

The learned CNC turning from the book only and they learned what every button means.

They did not write one single program.

They never saw a CNC machine running, and of course never operated one.

Therein lies the answer to the problems.

Those that are charged with teaching these practices have no idea at all of what they are doing nor any intention or interst in learning more, they have a fine sinecure why should they /

All their proteges will pass with top grades and first class diploma's or degrees etc, they cannot be allowed to fail as it would be a serious loss of face.

[steveyinasia]

" Yingluck said these working groups were urgently needed to supply vocational personnel, come up with funding for vocational study and reform the vocational-education system"

One would have though that in identifying these mega projects, some of those massive figures of funding would have included training costs. Oh yeah...this is PTP which is only focused on what goes in their pocket.

[waza]

It is estimated that the projects will require about 100,000 personnel with professional and high-professional certificates in the field of construction over the next three years. However, all the vocational colleges put together are only able to produce 6,000 persons a year.

Zero unemployement and 6000 semi skilled workers being trained a year and these guys are going to build a state of the art high speed train network connecting Thailand to China? They can even build and maintain a functional domestic passenger and frieght train network. Thats one train I wont be riding.

Personally when I hear the PM say mega projects I alway think of Thaksin's pet project, the "Dawei Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zone Project" and I believe this will use up a large portion of the 2.2 trillion baht loan. The Thai government has given a commitment to underwrite the funding but despite Yinglucks globetrotting to gain international investors no one has signed up.

"After Dawei Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zone Project was initiated by the Italian-Thai Development Co in 2008. Following Italian-Thai's difficulty in financing the project, the Myanmar and Thai governments formed a joint venture named Special Purpose Vehicle-1 to overcome the bottleneck." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/aec/Dawei-Deep-Sea-Port-project-will-not-be-controlled-30211395.html

THE Burmese city of Dawei lies 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of the Thai capital, Bangkok. The two are separated by a stretch of mountainous jungle and have never been connected. But over the past five years, ..... ItalianThai, has cut a swathe through the jungle which, once paved, will cost roughly $1m per kilometre of road..A fibre-optic cable, provisionally held up by bamboo sticks, runs the entire 150km ....The project was set in motion by Thaksin Shinawatra, ...... When he proposed it he was still in power and it was seen by many as a vanity project that would never get off the ground.......The project’s biggest problems, however, are financial........A consortium of Thai banks, many of them state-run, has been roped into providing $4 billion to move things along at Dawei. But ultimately, vast sums of private money will be needed. http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21582554-planned-thai-mega-project-myanmar-runs-difficulty-build-it-and-they-might-come

[MK1]

A Smoke and mirrors campaign perhaps, in order to be seen as starting to create a skilled-work force to draw from, so they appease bankers they intend to loan from such as Japanese investors. First the Government should establish an authentic set of building and safety standards in order for vocational colleges to teach them something useful otherwise the whole exercise will be pointless. A vital few; is a useful many.

[h90]

Old lathes are good for some basic learning.....

We have two guys who recently finished engineering education, supposed to learn CNC.

The "University" has 1 Emco CNC lathe. And they told over the years they never saw it turned on.

The learned CNC turning from the book only and they learned what every button means.

They did not write one single program.

They never saw a CNC machine running, and of course never operated one.

Therein lies the answer to the problems.

Those that are charged with teaching these practices have no idea at all of what they are doing nor any intention or interst in learning more, they have a fine sinecure why should they /

All their proteges will pass with top grades and first class diploma's or degrees etc, they cannot be allowed to fail as it would be a serious loss of face.

In this case I asked myself if the teachers might have sold the inside of the machine already and have just the hull of it

They got told that the machine was so expensive that they don't want to risk damage. Which of course is total nonsense.

Beside that, it is a 400 mm machine. In the past Emco hat very small machines for schools which were much cheaper. Or you could go with worn out machines which companies sell cheaply.

For learning CNC it doesn't matter if the machine can do only a +/-0.01 mm.

As you say, I agree the teacher themself have no idea what they teach and have no interest to learn "more".

Beside that my guess is: The teacher don't know enough English to understand the guide book. There is no budge for schooling the teacher (Emco offers to teach on their machines).

And the teacher don't have a technical mindset. If they would be real technician they couldn't resist to clamp something and try it.

Solution: you must fire all the teacher and start from zero. Maybe hire people from the industry or foreigner.

I think it would be very easy and relative cheap to get some foreigner if you have some creative ideas.

But nothing is happening.....

[waza]

It is estimated that the projects will require about 100,000 personnel with professional and high-professional certificates in the field of construction over the next three years. However, all the vocational colleges put together are only able to produce 6,000 persons a year.

Zero unemployement and 6000 semi skilled workers being trained a year and these guys are going to build a state of the art high speed train network connecting Thailand to China? They can even build and maintain a functional domestic passenger and frieght train network. Thats one train I wont be riding.

Personally when I hear the PM say mega projects I alway think of Thaksin's pet project, the "Dawei Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zone Project" and I believe this will use up a large portion of the 2.2 trillion baht loan. The Thai government has given a commitment to underwrite the funding but despite Yinglucks globetrotting to gain international investors no one has signed up.

"After Dawei Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zone Project was initiated by the Italian-Thai Development Co in 2008. Following Italian-Thai's difficulty in financing the project, the Myanmar and Thai governments formed a joint venture named Special Purpose Vehicle-1 to overcome the bottleneck." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/aec/Dawei-Deep-Sea-Port-project-will-not-be-controlled-30211395.html

THE Burmese city of Dawei lies 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of the Thai capital, Bangkok. The two are separated by a stretch of mountainous jungle and have never been connected. But over the past five years, ..... ItalianThai, has cut a swathe through the jungle which, once paved, will cost roughly $1m per kilometre of road..A fibre-optic cable, provisionally held up by bamboo sticks, runs the entire 150km ....The project was set in motion by Thaksin Shinawatra, ...... When he proposed it he was still in power and it was seen by many as a vanity project that would never get off the ground.......The project’s biggest problems, however, are financial........A consortium of Thai banks, many of them state-run, has been roped into providing $4 billion to move things along at Dawei. But ultimately, vast sums of private money will be needed. http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21582554-planned-thai-mega-project-myanmar-runs-difficulty-build-it-and-they-might-come

But wait theres more..........

Thailand, Myanmar agree on bilateral meeting.

Prime Minister Yingluck also asked President Thein Sein to give importance to the Dawei deep-sea port development project, for it is an investment project that will create connectivity within the region. Both leaders agreed that Thailand and Myanmar should search for interested investors from other countries to invest in the project while waiting for other investment decisions.

Thaksin has invested a large amount of his personal wealth into this project and hes not about to let this lame duck project flounder. A deep sea port in a niegbouring country directly linked to Bangkok, dont think he wouldn't bankrupt Thailand to build it.