College courses to tackle Thailand's skilled-worker shortage

[webfact]

College courses to tackle skilled-worker shortage
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- THAILAND is facing a shortfall of 400,000 skilled workers each year, mainly in management, information and communications technology and hospitality, according to Virachai Techavijit, honorary adviser to the National Legislative Assembly's committee on education and chairman of Regent's International College (RIC) in Bangkok.

He also said the proficiency of Thai labourers should be improved so that there could be demand for them from overseas employers, especially when the Asean Economic Community |was fully implemented at the end of the year.

To help produce more skilled labourers and strengthen the country's competitiveness, RIC is working with the United Kingdom's Business Technology Education Council and its owners, Pearson, the world's largest professional education body, to offer more international curricula in Thailand.

RIC is the first BTEC higher education college in Bangkok.

It is offering programmes in the following areas - business management, hospitality and tourism, ICT for business and accounting.

"We hope the model will help relieve the problem of skilled-labour shortage," Virachai said. "Thailand has an urgent need to develop human capital to support digital economies and the Asian markets.

"Our approach will also be a solution for modern businesses and industries who complain about new staff arriving without professional skills."

The school's curriculum is in English and consist of levels one to three for up to three years of high school studies based on a student's maturity and English proficiency and the diploma level four and five.

The diploma includes a further year of studying abroad for a bachelor's degree at a UK university chosen by the student. Tuition fees for levels three to five start from Bt255,000 per year.

Nitin Dutta, chief executive officer of RIC, said the school had targeted 100 students in 2016 and 1,000 students by 2021.

The target group is international students in Thailand and other AEC countries and bilingual schools.

Virachai said BTEC advised the government before it announced the need to lift professional education to an international standard, with pilot projects earmarked to start in Phuket in hospitality and hotel management.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/College-courses-to-tackle-skilled-worker-shortage-30264760.html


-- The Nation 2015-07-20

[NongKhaiKid]

Good idea, get more into these courses, everyone passes and the shortage is reduced.

All's well until the newly ' qualified ' staff try to do the job especially in the use of English.

[selftaopath]

I SMILED the entire time I read this recent "scheme." Reminds me of the old old commercial.... how did I get my degree?????? I EARNED it. Maybe in another 30 yrs or so Thailand will understand this "farang" idea/mentality. lol or not.

[lostoday]

BTEC education and 30 baht is worth a cup of coffee. Thailand should look to schools that are accepted by the better education institutions in the UK before spending any cash on another education spam job.

[clockman]

It will take more than a generation!

[BigBadGeordie]

An excellent unpaid advert by Regent's International College, I hope Khum Suchat Sritama enjoyed their lunch.

[NongKhaiKid]

A year of study at a UK university chose by the student ?

I thought universities chose who they accepted for study especially those with a name.

[PatOngo]

It will take more than a generation!

I think they can do it in about 90 days.

[jaywalker]

​OK....It starts off talking about Thai's, but.....

"The target group is international students in Thailand and other AEC countries and bilingual schools."

I don't get it.

...and here I was just recently praising The Nation for some decent journalism.

[timber]

If they need graduates in certain fields give temporary visa's {five years}. A lot of SE Asian students would like to work in Thailand to make some extra bucks.

[Emster23]

"Tuition fees for levels three to five start from Bt255,000 per year." For what appears to be a technical school??? Guy that will work on my car engine, or fix my computer? I sent the ex to Chula grad school, and the tuition then was 57,000 a term.... I hope they have student loans.... "gee honey, I can make 10,000 a month if I spent 3/4's of a million baht to get training". How can they present this with a straight face?

[bamnutsak]

Infomercial.

[soalbundy]

It will take more than a generation!

Not now, they have IQ injections, a three month course brings the IQ up to near normal.

[soalbundy]

"Tuition fees for levels three to five start from Bt255,000 per year." For what appears to be a technical school??? Guy that will work on my car engine, or fix my computer? I sent the ex to Chula grad school, and the tuition then was 57,000 a term.... I hope they have student loans.... "gee honey, I can make 10,000 a month if I spent 3/4's of a million baht to get training". How can they present this with a straight face?

Easy, the students cant do the maths

[diehard60]

This is good but you must have qualified instructors, and you don't have them.

[chainarong]

The Thai short cut laysy method in all its glory and waste of time , how many times have we seen this type of B/S introduced and how many times has it faded into obscurity, one gets sick n tired of even answering this crap, cause it never solves the problem

[Kannikapor88]

Thailand is a House of Cards and even tho The Fat Lady didnt sing yet, we can all hear her warming up ...

[fred Kubasa]

1). Much, much to late for Asean

2). Curriculum in English which few will understand ?

3). 2 to 300,000 for courses ?

What they should do is make an immediate survey, via personal interviews, with leaders of those industries who need, or will shortly need, skilled

people in their field and ask , A). Financial support for classes specific to their needs and, more importantly,

. Advanced members from their companies, ( Master electricians/carpenters/mechanics, etc.) to

teach, hands on, some of the classes.

I believe people like Mercedes. Toyota, top electrical firms would be happy to help out and it may well be tax deductible for them !

[Just1Voice]

S.S.D.D.

Same <deleted>, Different Day.

[selftaopath]

A year of study at a UK university chose by the student ?

I thought universities chose who they accepted for study especially those with a name.

Maybe it's different in the UK NKK. :-) I know in the US the universities choose. Humnnnn what's the US educational institutions rankings compared to others???

[trogers]

Great idea! And start with courses for the aviation industry...lol

[NongKhaiKid]

A year of study at a UK university chose by the student ?

I thought universities chose who they accepted for study especially those with a name.

Maybe it's different in the UK NKK. :-) I know in the US the universities choose. Humnnnn what's the US educational institutions rankings compared to others???

Thanks for that about the US. It's been many a long year since I was involved with uni entrance requirements and have no idea how things may have changed but a ' uni of your choice ' sounds like a great sales pitch which may not be that easy especially if a student is thinking Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews etc.

There could also be a problem if English proficiency is in doubt with a ' qualification ' issued here and perhaps the embarrassment of having to take a test then the need to do an Intensive English course before acceptance. It does happen.

I'm really not sure and would welcome input from anyone who knows more.

[z42]

Thailand has some fantastic students whk are talented enough to think critically or even. A large number i have seen here i honestly can say demonstrate a frighteningly low level of intelligence and common sense. They struggle to complete the most basic tasks.

Non thai designed courses in English i feel would be a bridge too far the majority here. I would love to be wrong but it sure seems that way

[selftaopath]

A year of study at a UK university chose by the student ?

I thought universities chose who they accepted for study especially those with a name.

Maybe it's different in the UK NKK. :-) I know in the US the universities choose. Humnnnn what's the US educational institutions rankings compared to others???

Thanks for that about the US. It's been many a long year since I was involved with uni entrance requirements and have no idea how things may have changed but a ' uni of your choice ' sounds like a great sales pitch which may not be that easy especially if a student is thinking Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews etc.

There could also be a problem if English proficiency is in doubt with a ' qualification ' issued here and perhaps the embarrassment of having to take a test then the need to do an Intensive English course before acceptance. It does happen.

I'm really not sure and would welcome input from anyone who knows more.

Having gone through US educational system, I KNOW most - if not all - Thais would be required to take rudimentary level English classes before any degree placement courses, IF they were accepted at all. There's always community colleges though. That could be a starting point. I don't think they have stringent entrance requirements.