Government will train high-tech workers for new industries

In a bid to start filling the skills gap, the government will train 8,500 prospective workers for jobs in high-tech industries in the Kingdom’s advanced development zone as a first step towards meeting the needs of businesses and people in a changing economy.

“The government wants to develop and improve labor skills to better serve and match the targeted industries,” said Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office.

The EEC is a three-province zone and home to the advanced, green, and next-generation industries that the government believes will power the transformation of Thailand’s economy and society over the next 20 years.

While the government has been providing strong investment incentives to businesses in those industries, and building infrastructure to create a vibrant ecosystem to support them, there has been high demand for workers with the right skills.

Nearly 180,000 new graduates are needed to meet the demand for workers in the 12 key industries over the next five years, according to the Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO).

The EEC Office puts the expected demand even higher and estimates that 475,668 skilled workers would be needed during the next five years.

Not all those workers will need to be college or university graduates, Kanit said. About 53 percent will need a college or vocational school degree. The rest could be those without degrees but undergo training courses designed to equip them with the necessary skills for particular industries.

Photo courtesy of  https://www.boi.go.th