Article by: MEGA Tech Magazine
The investment value of the Eastern Economic Corridor or EEC in the government and private sector within 5 years from 2019-2024 was at 1.7 trillion baht, covering the infrastructure and target industry development, including education, environment, public utility, and community development. The objectives of investment drive are:
- Expand the investment expansion rate to 10 percent per year
- Expand the Thai economy by 2 percent per year
- Cause the Thai economy to expand to 5 percent per year and to enhance the potential and the being of people in the country
All of these are good signals for the growth of Thai industrial sector that is currently developing and driving under COVID-19 situation and the drive of world economy to confirm the building of confidence to both Thai and foreign investors.
Another side of the work under EEC is to develop the personnel and the education to suit and support the employment and the investment that are going to occur. MEGA Tech has an opportunity to talk with Dr. Apichart Thongyou, Advisor to the Secretary-General of Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee and the Chairman of Eastern Economic Corridor Human Development Center in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC-HDC) in the aspect of special measure that suits with the current situation and the update on the main strategic drive in the production of manpower according to the personnel need in Eastern Economic Corridor in the number of 475,668 men within 5 years.
The Use of Special Measure for Automotive Skill during COVID-19
Dr. Apichart had started mentioning about the picture of EEC in the next 5 years that when the basic construction project is complete, EEC will be the landscape that is a power base in the drive of industrial strategy of the country, including the readiness of airport, pier, and high-speed train together with other measures that will be driven together.
EEC HDC or EEC Human Development Center is the agency that supervises the personnel development and the education in 3 provinces, which are Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong by taking care of 385 schools, 48 vocational schools, and 8 universities, including the special measures that are proceeded together with the main policy.
The special measure that is currently driving is the development of labor skill in automotive industry group by developing the personnel in Tier 2 and Tier 3 to be on the platform of Industry 4.0 with more than 3 hundred thousand labors in which their support must be received and their skill must be developed. The target is set to be completed within 2021. Currently, we have been working with more than 500 establishments.
The reason that this special measure must be proceeded is due to the transition of technology into the electric vehicle. Therefore, the personnel must obtain more skills that are different from before in order to drive the industry and prevent the problem of unemployment. Therefore, this special measure is currently driving during this time so that when COVID-19 situation is fully recovered, the personnel in this industry will be immediately ready. Apart from automotive industry, the operation of aircraft industry and other groups of industry will be proceeded in the following interval.
EEC HDC Proceeds with EEC MODEL in Full Force
Dr. Apichart further mentioned that the main operation of EEC HDC in EEC development strategy within 5 years with the operating budget of 600-800 million baht per year has begun since 2019. The core operation is the aim of personnel development to respond to the lack of labor in 12 target industry groups, which are 5 former target industries, consisting of Next-Generation Automotive; Smart Electronics; Affluent, Medical and Wellness Tourism; Agriculture and Biotechnology; and Food for the Future. For 7 new target industry groups that consist of Robotics, Medical Hub, Aviation and Logistics, Biofuels and Biochemical, Digital, National Defense, and Personnel and Educational Development, the former skills must be developed and the production of manpower must suit with the demand at the target of 475,668 men.
Therefore, the big question is to develop the education system development to be in accordance with labor and market demand. Therefore, EEC HDC has driven the personnel and educational development work under the Demand Driven policy that emphasizes on the new generation of personnel and educational development. The course and the learning style must be designed to match with the true demand of entrepreneur by covering the basic education with the improvement of language skill and coding in STEM education. At the same time, the vocational and higher education level is adjusted into the Demand Driven Education in which the learning is managed by EEC Model that is divided into Type A and Type B.
Build and Develop the Personnel by Demand Driven Strategy
Type A is a learning design for students in vocational and higher education. The course is designed according to the personnel demand between the educational institution and the establishment. That is to say, the establishment that participates in the project will express its desire for types of labor and quantity to the educational institution. When the student graduates according to the said demand, they will work with the said establishment. The establishment will pay 100% tuition fee for the student. If the establishment receives the investment promotion from the Board of Investment of Thailand or BOI, the tax can be deducted by 250%.
Type B is a short-course study with the course from 1 day – 1 year. Likewise, the establishment must make a desire for types of labor, quantity, and period of time. Then, proceed with the processes according to the procedures. Currently, there are 70 courses that can be divided into:
Group 1: Senior students that the establishment needs urgently can take a short course and work by which the students can take leave from study in the system by maintain the student status.
Group 2: Former labors who need to develop the skill to be in accordance with the change of technology.
Group 3: Those who needs to re-skill to develop the unemployment group, those who work in the unrelated field, and those who lack of work experience.
“Type A and Type B are new types of operation that mainly emphasizes on the demand of manufacturing sector, which will help to solve labor problems in terms of both unemployment and labor shortage. Also, the development of industrial sector can continue to be in the same direction so that the work can be created with quality and be ready to compete in the global market. Interested entrepreneurs can participate in these projects and EEC HDC is ready to plan and develop together”.
“However, according to COVID-2019 situation, the positive impact is found in terms of investment. The foreign countries have foreseen the management in the preventive measure for disease outbreak and are confident with the public health of Thailand as well as the investment plan by sending a signal to those who need to invest in Thailand further”, Dr. Apichart had concluded.
The good signals for various matters, like the continuous operation of government agencies and the investment in various projects, including the relaxation of COVID situation around the world that gradually returns to normal are another step of challenge that the entrepreneur must analyze and see things that are going to happen after this on all sides because COVID situation has given a lesson of “Always Adjusting and Learning”.