On 17 June 2024, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Ms. Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI) held a press conference on “IGNITE THAILAND: Future Workforce for Future Industry” at the Government House. The announcement outlined MHESI’s workforce development plan supporting the IGNITE THAILAND vision, which aims to position Thailand as a hub in eight key industries: tourism, wellness & medical, agriculture & food, aviation, logistics, future mobility, digital economy and finance.
As an agency under MHESI, NXPO has implemented programs supporting both short- and long-term workforce development in targeted industries, namely seminconductor & advanced electronics, artificial intelligenece (AI), and electric vehicles (EV). The STEMPlus Platform has been established to develop skilled STEM professionals to meet the demands of manufacturing and service sectors. This platform features a comprehensive list of short courses for reskilling and upskilling and offers a 250% tax deduction on training expenses as an incentive for enterprises to invest in employee development. Currently, there are 150 courses in advanced electronics, 124 courses in EV, and 313 courses in AI, expected to upskill 12,500 workers in semiconductor and advanced electronics, 24,000 in EV, and 8,000 in AI annually.
The Coop+, a special cooperative education program, offers students in semiconductor-related fields opportunities to upskill, intern with the industry, and secure employment upon graduation. The program aims to produce 1,500 graduates per year. Eight companies participate in the pilot phase, including Analog Devices (Thailand) Company Limited, Delta Electronics (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Hana Microelectronics Public Company Limited, Hana Semiconductor (Ayutthaya) Company Limited, Infineon Technologies (Thailand) Company Limited, Silicon Craft Technology Public Company Limited, Nisshinbo Micro Devices Thailand Company Limited, and PTT Public Company Limited. The same model will be applied to the EV and AI sectors, aiming to produce 500 graduates per year in each field.
An initiative to launch sandbox bachelor’s and master’s programs in semiconductor in 15 universities is expected to produce 1,300 graduates per year. In addition, NXPO, in collaboration with the Office of Permanent Secretary for MHESI and the PMU-B, has introduced the GenNX Model, a bootcamp education designed for intensive skill development. Two bootcamps have been launched for software developers and senior care professionals, graduating seven cohorts of software developers and two cohorts of senior care professionals. Universities are encouraged to use the GenNX Model to co-design training courses with the industry.
