Production of Skilled Workers and Engineers for Thailand’s Investment in Infrastructure Development

(28/01/2013)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stressed the need to accelerate the production of skilled workers and engineers to accommodate Thailand’s huge investment in infrastructure development. Speaking in the program “Yingluck Government Meets the People,” the Prime Minister urged educational institutions to produce more personnel to prepare for mega-projects in the future. The Government is planning to invest in many mega-infrastructure projects, such as the construction of a high-speed train system, linking Thailand with neighboring countries, the expansion of electric train routes, and sustainable water resources management and flood prevention. The mega-projects on infrastructure development require a budget of two trillion baht and are expected to generate employment for 500,000 people in the next seven years. As for sustainable water resources management and flood prevention, the Government has issued a royal decree empowering the Ministry of Finance to seek a loan of 350 billion baht to be used for the scheme. It has also invited interested local and foreign consulting firms to submit the Conceptual Plan for the Design of Infrastructure for Sustainable Water Resources Management and Flood Prevention of Thailand. The Prime Minister stated that relevant agencies should also work with the private sector in producing qualified personnel in response to the demand in the labor market. The fields of vocational education and engineering should be focused upon. In this regard, curriculums must be adjusted, so that students will be able to keep pace with new technology. Moreover, personnel at all levels who are in great demand in the labor market should be provided with opportunities to exchange knowledge and experience with those in foreign countries, in order to enhance their potential. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is gathering information about labor shortages in various fields in order to adjust its plan for the production of engineers and other professional workers. It has conducted a survey for mapping out a 10-year plan, aimed at producing personnel at both vocational and tertiary education levels to cope with Thailand’s investment expansion, especially the construction of the high-speed train project. The move will also help Thailand prepare its workforce in an attempt to prevent labor shortages when the ASEAN Community is in place in 2015. Emphasis is also placed on three major industries: automobiles and auto parts, electricity and electronics, and construction and surveying. Statistics compiled by the Federation of Thai industries show that, from 2011 to 2015, demand for skilled workers in the three industries is higher than production by between threefold and fourfold. Around one million skilled workers will be needed in the transport sector alone.