Thailand needs to boost language skills for skilled workers

BANGKOK, 9 October 2014 (NNT)-Thai workers have been advised to take foreign language classes before the integration of ASEAN countries next year. The Ministry of Labor fears Thailand would lose a competitive advantage to the Philippines where people can speak fluent English.

Permanent Secretary for Labor Nakorn Silpa-Archa said Thailand has been nominated at a recent conference on skilled labor development in Indonesia to set the standards of labor for Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Mr. Nakorn reiterated the importance of a second language and cultural awareness as they will enable Thai workers to work well with their foreign colleagues. He added the employment of Filipino nationals could mean fewer management level jobs for Thais due to their superior English skills.

The Department of Skill Development has been instructed to determine a time frame to achieve language fluency for skilled workers. The Office of Vocational Education Commission will also be asked to prepare vocational school students for the arrival of the AEC.


-- NNT 2014-10-09

Too little, too late ... as always

"Cultural awareness" here?

Bar girls may be in hot demand for government administration jobs after ASEAN.

They couldn't do a worse job than the present administrators, and at least they'll have a modicum of English/Thinglish.

Sorry, but it's too late for Thailand. It would take decades to catch up to the rest of ASEAN in English skills. That includes Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. Thailand will never catch up to Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines.

The only way Thailand is going to remain competitive in the AEC is protectionism. We will soon see a proliferation of vocational requirements which will render it virtually impossible for any foreigners to take skilled labor positions away from Thais.

The Ministry of Labor fears Thailand would lose a competitive advantage to the Philippines where people can speak fluent English

has it ever had a competitive edge to the Phil's in this regard...?

Permanent Secretary for Labor Nakorn Silpa-Archa said Thailand has been nominated at a recent conference on skilled labor development in Indonesia to set the standards of labor for Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

A bit like a fox looking after the hen house...

First get skilled workers, then worry about their language skills

Thailand has deliberately and proudly kept itself apart from the rest of the rest of the world for centuries.

This isolated society has created a species apart from the others.

Darwin's law of natural selection suggests that the Thai species is no longer fitted for survival in a competitive arena.

my wife is Thai and we lived in Australia for over 7 years and in that time she did courses at TAFE in english for a few years up to cert 3 and then did a course in business english

landed a job in Queensland Govmt ambulance service in admin...speaks and writes perfect english( hardly any accent) and has done a few translation documents for a few places but trying to find a job maybe teaching is almost impossible...she says cause she is Thai and maybe too old (49)

She has uni degrees (masters) in communications but that does not go when applying for a job

so how would anyone learn english when they have this mentality??????????///

They want to achieve this in a year?

Coming from a country that still puts thai voiceover over movies. I think they don't get it and never will

I guess this would explain why Thailand has recently made it more difficult for English teachers to remain in the country.

Should have started 20 years ago, not 12 months before ASEAN agreements are implemented.

I can see the headlines now: Hotel workers on strike, asking police to get rid of the Philipinos.

Thailand the hub of fools.

Over decade's brainwashed they are the superior nation and all other neighboring countries are below them - now slowly they realize they will be the one (Thai) can do the work in neighboring countries they originally let be for Myanmar workers in Thailand. How the time is changing. Myanmar workers will be above Thai workers. Great!

"Thailand has been nominated at a recent conference on skilled labor development in Indonesia to set the standards of labor for Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia."

"...would lose a competitive advantage to the Philippines where people can speak fluent English."

I'd like to know who nominated Thailand to set these standards. Obviously they are not familiar with the educational system or culture here.

Even if it were true...Too late. In my travels to Vietnam and Cambodia, it appears that every main street has rows of English language schools. I continually get stopped by students who say: "Excuse me. Would it be a bother if I could practice my English with you?" Wow. Proper English and manners!!! No matter what Permanent Secretary for Labor Nakorn Silpa-Archa said, the average Thai will not be motivated to learn functional English or the necessary vocational skills to compete with most of the ASEAN countries for the newly created industrial jobs.

As for losing a competitive advantage to Philippines...If the newly created jobs materialize, there will be a flood of Filipinos returning from the west where they have found lucrative employment as nurses and nannies based on training in both vocational and English skills. This will only destroy the slight hope Thais had for increasing their employment in this arena.

They want to achieve this in a year?

I am constantly frustrated by this wait-till-the-last-minute mentality. At least a third of students who enroll into my school's English program have zero useful English skills. A few of them can't even count to twenty without saying "five-teen". Yet my director seems to think I can get them up to speed in two years so that they'll score at least 450 on the TOEIC.

Mission: Impossible

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Sorry, but it's too late for Thailand. It would take decades to catch up to the rest of ASEAN in English skills. That includes Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. Thailand will never catch up to Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines. The only way Thailand is going to remain competitive in the AEC is protectionism. We will soon see a proliferation of vocational requirements which will render it virtually impossible for any foreigners to take skilled labor positions away from Thais.

Perhaps , but the philippineos will give the Asean community a fair shake, they've started already, just check visa applications at the embassy in Lao.

Oh! So thailand isn't the center of the economic universe where everyone needs to learn Thai to do business here.

Corruption has robbed Thailand's education system. Literally and figuratively.

The Ministry of Labor, the Department of Skill Development and the Office of Vocational Education Commission at a joint staff meeting:

"We really, really need to boost language skills for skilled workers!"

Everyone nods sagely and exudes an aura of approval: "Well said, Mr. Minister!", "Bravo, you hit the Nail with a Hammer right on it's head, so help me Buddha!",

"Don't think too much, our vocational engineering students will take care of the competition from the Philippines...", "Lunch time!"

No mention of the importance of English being well taught in the Thai education system Mr Secretary?

I consider myself a native English speaker and until today, I am still learning the language. They want to attend some half-cooked classes and in a blink, expect to be competitive (at least where language is concerned) with the likes of the Filipinos? Whatever this perm-sec is smoking/drinking, I'd like some. Good luck.

And what can be done to prepare 'vocational school students for the arrival of the AEC'? Wai and say sawasdeekrub/ka?

ASEAN is the ticking bomb for Thailand. Already good Thai nurses are fearful for their Thailand jobs when cheaper Phil. show up with more skills and ENGLISH, too. Thailand does not know what is gonna hit it !

Protectionism will clamp down and ASEAN ideals will shrink.

i speak 7 languages and i always say to thai people that english is one of the easiest language of the world.i really dont understand why they dont get it.

i also make the same critic to the anglosaxon comunity who because they speak allready english, normally or in general never make the sufficient effort to learn other languages to be understand.

Is it safe to assume that category of "skilled workers" does not include politicians, all levels of police, English teachers, news reporters..... and bar girls already have skills needed...

It’s all talk, clearly Thai government officials don’t want a country of people fluent in English. There is a saying “by his actions you shall know him”. Don’t listen to what they say, look at what they do. It’s obviously a top down decision; those in control won’t even allow all the expat’s that have offered to teach English for free to help their people. It’s not hard to structure a language program; the Thai’s are more than capable of learning English, most all of the upper-class Thai’s that run the country and control big business speak English; the people in power don’t want it.

Why they don’t want it one can only speculate, maybe they want to keep a dumbed down lower class that are easier to control, the wisdom of the world is available free on the internet if you can read and understand English. Maybe they fear educating the lower class would cause them to lose their source cheap labor.

I am sure, with a super human effort from Thai students they will be able to say many words in English in no time flat sometime in the next year or 3!

Half the English teachers/tutors have had to leave , since they can't fit the work permit requirements. Where are all the education degree teachers, in the international school for 80000 a month.. never mind the poor thai schools.

​Id say language skill wise, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore of course all blow Thailand away with English language skills. Those Ive met from Myanmar and Indonesia that do speak English ive found often do so to a much better standard than most Thais.

Permanent Secretary for Labor Nakorn Silpa-Archa said Thailand has been nominated at a recent conference on skilled labor development in Indonesia to set the standards of labor for Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Not encouraging

i speak 7 languages and i always say to thai people that english is one of the easiest language of the world.i really dont understand why they dont get it.

i also make the same critic to the anglosaxon comunity who because they speak allready english, normally or in general never make the sufficient effort to learn other languages to be understand.

I think you mean to be UNDERSTOOD.

Understand?

Pay a scholar 10000 baht reward for speaking english seems a better idea to me.