On September 14, 2022, the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin chaired the opening of the “Professional Qualifications, Qualifications of People Who Make a Living.” The event also awarded the city of professionals and the model city of human resource development with professional qualifications, awards for the short film contest, and awards for organizations responsible for certifying individuals’ competency to excellent professional standards. There was also a special speech on “Developing the Workforce of the Future.” Mr. Nakorn Silpa-archa, Chairman of the Institute of Professional Qualifications, gave a welcome speech and reported the event’s objectives. The Ministry of Labour’s executives joined the occasion at the Makkhawan Rangsan Room, 3rd floor, Royal Thai Army Club, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Bangkok.
Mr. Suchart said that the development of human capital and the potential of the country’s workforce is an important government policy under the 20-year national strategy. It aims to increase the country’s competitiveness and workforce in various occupations to be quality workers with advanced skills and expertise. It strives to certify personnel to professional standards and obtain professional qualifications. This is a new qualification in Thailand that certifies the workforce’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to enable Thailand’s workers to develop themselves through various channels, earn more, and have a better quality of life. It aims to create sustainable happiness and encourage workers to obtain qualifications equivalent to various educational qualifications, which is an important goal for the government in driving the nation’s economy and industry of the future for sustainable development.
Changes have taken place in many dimensions. Diseases have emerged, and technology has evolved by leaps and bounds. The economy is volatile, and social, political, and environmental changes have taken place both within the country and abroad. This is an accelerating factor for all parties to adjust to the country’s economic stability and society. The government aims to develop Thai people to have skills for life in the 21st century as a driving force for the country’s development and to develop people in all dimensions appropriate for each age group. It gives importance to creating social security that is suitable for all groups. Thailand’s workforce has over 38 million people, of which 37.7 million are employed, 748,268 are unemployed, and about 200,000 are off-season workers. Those not part of the workforce include children, the elderly, and those in retirement, which account for over 18 million people. These are the populations that the government has focused on how to prove them the opportunity to build their potential. Collaboration from all parties, including the public and private sectors, will help strengthen the workforce. The development of different platforms will meet the needs of upgrading the workforce of the future through upskilling and reskilling to allow the workers to enhance their skills and potential for use in their careers and to make them highly-skilled workers who are in demand. People without educational qualifications will receive professional qualifications that certify their knowledge and competence. When society recognizes professional qualifications, it will boost employment opportunities and increase their chances of moving to higher positions, enabling them to grow and advance in their careers. This has been recognized in foreign countries, in terms of knowledge, skills, abilities, and work experience for a long time. Thailand itself has to create acceptance of these aspects quickly.
Mr. Suchart continued that for the unemployed, off-season workers, or those just joining the workforce, the government has developed a platform that meets the needs of a digital government. There is a bank of credits to accumulate student learning outcomes, for entering the labour market in the future. It is developed to truly meet the needs of the labour market. In addition to studying in the classroom, there must be learning in different fields such as foreign languages, digital technology, and experience through training. Linking and exchanging information for the production and development of the country’s manpower today will result in the development of the country’s workforce to have opportunities to learn, develop working capacity, and be recognized by the private and business sectors. At the same time, all concerned parties, including the government, the private sector, and entrepreneurs, must encourage and support their employees to have opportunities for education, training, and learning through various forms and methods to develop their potential. Such efforts will enable them to be ready and resistant to economic, social, and environmental changes. The entire workforce will be developed without leaving anyone behind. When everyone is resilient, the workforce can overcome any crisis or threat to achieve true sustainability.
“The Ministry of Labour thanks the Committee of National Reform on Culture, Sports, Labour and Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Education, the Thailand Professional Qualifications Institute (Public Organization), and all relevant agencies involved in supporting the building of the culture and new values in society by bringing the value of work experience and skills into the process of qualification and certification. The efforts utilize mechanisms from the government’s digital platforms to benefit the people. I ask for cooperation from business operators and employers in applying them as values in personnel management. This culture can only be achieved through cooperation from all sectors of society. It is an important component of human capital development and the upgrading of the country’s labour potential following the above national strategy, to promote the workforce to gain more qualifications and enable the country to become more stable, prosperous and sustainable as a whole,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Division of Public Relations
14 September 2022
