“Job Fair 2018” took place on the 22nd May 2018 at the Bluport Department Store Hua Hin. The event was held by Stamford International University, the Department of Employment Prachuap Kirikhan Province, WWW.JOBBKK.COM and Bluport Department Store Hua Hin.
Dr. Apitep Saekow, Assistant President of Stamford International University, shared knowledge about “The 21st Century Skills towards Thailand 4.0” to the audience.
Students and graduates need to prepare themselves and be ready for the digital future and opportunities offered by the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and Thailand 4.0. Companies are going through a digital transformation and rapid modernisation.
Dr. Apitep discussed how businesses in Thailand 4.0 are being enhanced by disruptive technology and how technological advances are leading to new business in the 21st century.
New industry clusters in Thailand 4.0 utilize more and more technology such as automation and IOT (Internet of Things). New production is based on co-creation and collaborative networks among public and private sectors. The businesses are based on demand and are designed to operate in a global context rather than focusing on only local context. Factories, for example, become SMART factories which use automation, computing and data exchange technology in manufacturing.
Dr Apitep also shared that the skills needed in the 21st Century are soft skills like cooperative skills, communications skills, time-management skills, leadership skills, as well as the hard skills like cloud computing skills, data-mining, web architecture, digital marketing and other digital technology-related skills. He also added that the native-digital younger generation should be properly trained to be passion-driven and to innovate. Moreover, English language skills are essential as English is the global language for communication, knowledge exchange and commerce.
Last but not least, Dr Apitep pointed out that the thing that makes human-beings different from robots is ‘integrity’. Graduates should not only have ready-to-work skills but should also have recognized and demonstrated local and global citizenship.
