Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul chaired the ceremony of royal worship His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of “The Father of Thai Craftsmanship” on 2 March every year; this year the ceremony took place at the Jompol P. Piboonsongkram Conference Room. In his speech, the Labour Minister said that the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crucial to the development of Thai craftsmanship, where the first national skills competition was held at Lumphini on 2 March 1970. The message by the King given in the first ever competition was, “All craftsmen play an important part to our lives; rely on the use of many different things each day, made by the hands of craftsmen. This is especially true today because evolution is taking place, so this means we must support the skills of craftsmen even more than before, catering to the peoples’ changing demands. The three issues that should be addressed include provision of scientific and design knowledge, the issue of skills which must meet higher standards and a balance of employment and source of markets in order to boost employment among craftsmen. These three issues must be addressed simultaneously to generate profits to boost further development. I ask that you please think about this as you continue on your journey of craftsmanship.”
His royal words showed that the late King gave great importance to the standardization and development of skills, as well as creation of employment and income to the people. 47 years later, his words are still remembered, repeated and applied, and will continue to do so in the future. The Ministry of Labour has applied the royal teachings to enhancement of both quality and quantity of Thai craftsman, streamlining national standards to those of international levels, through skills assessments and skills-based wage payouts.
On this occasion, the Labour Minister presented the skills assessment center symbol to 15 centers along with a symbol of skills standards to 5 centers. Trophies and certificates were presented to winners of the short movie competition launched by the Department of Skills Development, with scholarships presented to 34 participants in the 11th ASEAN Youths Skills Competition for 9,000 Baht each. Participants of the event viewed the exhibition in honour of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and performances from 12 advanced technology institutes. In provincial areas, activities were also launched together nationwide.
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Kantipon Kusmit – News/
Sompob Silbut – Photos/
