Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
According to a recent study, Phuket is facing a shortage of skilled labourers, including vocational graduates.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about this labour shortage.
A recent study has found that almost 50 percent of employers in Phuket need vocational graduates, while only 15 percent require workers with a university degree, yet vocational study in the Pearl of the Andaman Sea is still looked down upon by many as a second-choice education option.
UNBALANCED WORKFORCE
Phuket is now flooded with a surplus of university graduates and badly needs a vocational workforce, president of the Phuket Provincial Education Council Banthoon Thongtan said, referring to details released by Dhurakij Pundit University Research Centre.
As a result, the problem of job mismatching in Phuket is likely to increase over the next five years if the problem is not solved, Banthoon told a panel discussion about the direction of education in Phuket. The talk was organised by the Quality Learning Foundation.
MISGUIDED ATTITUDES
Banthoon said the problem stems from society's negative attitude towards vocational schools, as most parents value university degrees more highly and encourage their children to pursue an academic education rather than a technical one.
"Students need career guidance from experienced teachers, while parents need to understand the job market in Phuket. A university degree does not guarantee a job any more because most employers need skilled labourers," Banthoon said.
The absence of excellence in many technical and vocational fields could carry a high cost for Phuket if demand for skills in the job market is not matched by supply, Banthoon pointed out.
JOB VACANCIES
According to Kiatanatha Lounkaew, assistant to the vice-president for the DPU Research Centre, Phuket needs skilled labour in sectors such as tourism, communication technology, construction and engineering.
The five most sought after personnel are general labourer, sales manager, ship's electrician, cleaner and hotel receptionist.
Exercises
Read the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. According to Kiatanatha Lounkaew, Phuket needs skilled labour in sectors such as agriculture and accounting.
……………….
2. Phuket is facing a shortage of university graduates, according to the story.
……………….
3. The study revealed that almost 50 percent of employers in Phuket need vocational graduates.
……………….
4. Banthoon Thongtan is president of the Phuket Provincial Education Council.
……………….
Vocabulary
- labourer (n): a person whose job involves hard physical work that is not skilled, especially work that is done outdoors
vocational (adj): connected with the skills, knowledge, etc. that you need to have in order to do a particular job
surplus (adj): more than is needed or used
mismatch (v): to combine things or people that do not go together well or are not suitable for each other
