King Mongkut's Institute of Technology University Ladkrabang (KMITL) has joined hands with Japan's Institute of National Colleges of Technology, known as Kosen, to establish the Kosen Vocational Demonstration School to boost vocational and engineering education in the country.
According to KMITL, the vocational school will be open for admission to graduates fresh out of junior high schools nationwide. The vocational demonstration school will offer five training courses. They are Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automotive Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
The Thai-Japanese college will start accepting its first batch of students sometime this year. First admission will open for 125 students. The college will focus on limiting the amount of students to only 25 per class.
The curriculum used in Thailand's Kosen Vocational Demonstration School will follow the same academic standards used in Japan. It provides a five-year program which has been designed to produce professional specialists.
All courses are designed to encourage students to experiment with technology and learn by hands-on practice.
KMITL's rector Suchatvee Suwansawat said that students who complete the five-year programme can then pursue a bachelor's degree through KMITL's two-year advanced engineering course.
"All students will be guaranteed a well-paid job after graduation because high-skilled workers in Thailand are now in great demand," said Mr Suchatvee.
KMITL's rector said he expects the Thai-Japanese cooperation to help boost the quality of the country's vocational education to international standards and attract more Thai students to study in the vocational track instead of mainstream education.
In Thailand, vocational study has not been popular. Students tend to study engineering in universities that emphasise theory rather than hands-on practice.
"The skills in highest demand in the 21st-century global market are technical skills, and our country faces a big shortage of qualified technical and vocational workers across all industries. If we do not make any move, the shortage will cost our country economically,'' he said.
Deputy Education Minister Udom Kachintorn said the government expects universities to play a bigger role in developing vocational education and producing graduates in the sectors most in need.
Mr Udom has called a meeting with universities to discuss the possibility of them offering shorter courses, of three months to one year, for skilled workers who want to further develop their qualifications.
"Only producing new graduates might be not enough to serve demand, so we need to retrain workers in the job market to keep their skills up to date," he said.
