Thai minister urges universities to up tech skills training

Unless Thai university graduates have the relevant technology competencies, mass unemployment will be a real threat.
By: | September 17, 2018 • 1 min read

 

Thailand’s Education Ministry has urged universities to adapt to the needs of digital transformation and collaborate with industries to ensure that they are producing graduates with employable skills.

Developments in artificial intelligence and robotics could result in 72% of university graduates being unemployed or working at jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree by 2030, according to Thailand’s Deputy Minister for Education Udom Kachintorn.

He said Thailand may face the largest rate of unemployment in its history by 2030 if universities do not better prepare their graduates for employment.

Jobs requiring basic administrative and office skills are likely to disappear, while those needing cognitive skills are likely to be in higher demand, Kachintorn added.

Universities are currently offering outdated majors that will no longer be relevant in the future, so Kachintorn said these should be phased out and Thai universities should adjust their strategies.