The Office of the Vocational Education Commission will
set up professional testing and standards certification centers at educational
institutions under its supervision and at various universities nationwide, in
preparation for the ASEAN Community.
The Secretary-General of the Office of the Vocational
Education Commission, Mr. Chaiprug Sereerak, said that the decision would
increase job opportunities for entrepreneurs and skilled personnel, so that
their skills and standards would be recognized in the ASEAN labor market.
Emphasis will be placed on professional standards in the
fields that Thailand wants to develop as its strengths in the ASEAN region.
These fields are involved with information technology and communication,
construction, beauty and spas, gems and jewelry, logistics, automobiles and
automotive parts, fashion, Thai cuisine, and retail business.
Mr. Chaiprug said that the centers would be located
across the country for the convenience of those who wish to apply for
professional testing. Related government agencies and private organizations
will join forces in conducting testing and certifying professional standards.
Each center will focus on only one particular field of profession, and those
who pass the testing will receive certificates.
The mapping out of the plan for the project will be
completed in 2013, and the Office of the Vocational Education Commission will
seek resources to buy necessary equipment for each center by 2014.
Although the standards of Thailand’s vocational education
system are considered high, students at various educational institutions at the
vocational level need to improve their communication skills in English and the
languages of other ASEAN nations. In this connection, Mr. Chaiprug said that
the Vocational Education Commission would open English and “mini-English”
programs to enhance language skills for both students and teaching staff, to
prepare them for the ASEAN Community, which will be in place in 2015.
Meanwhile, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology
Ladkrabang has opened new engineering courses, as it strives to become a
leading university in ASEAN, excelling in engineering studies.
The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Associate
Professor Dr. Suchatvee Suwansawat, said that the new courses include a graduate
program in Defense Engineering and an undergraduate program in Biomedical
Engineering.
The Dean said that the opening of the Defense Engineering
program is the first of its kind in Thailand and ASEAN, while the Biomedical
Engineering program is in response to the Thai government’s policy of
developing Thailand into a medical hub in Asia.
The introduction of the new courses is seen as a
significant step toward produce engineering personnel to cope with the ASEAN
labor market demand in the future.
(thailand.prd.go.th)