Finding the right skilled people to fill 53,000 positions in Thailand proving a challenge
PUBLISHED : 20 Sep 2023 at 20:35
Thailand faces a critical shortage of electric vehicle specialists and skilled workers needed to fuel the growth of the industry, which is struggling to fill more than 53,000 positions, says the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (Evat).
Most of them, amounting to 44,492 positions, require a vocational school education, while the rest must filled by holders of bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.
The EV industry desperately needs experts in software, material science, simulation and user experience fields, said Uthane Supatti, the vice-president of Evat.
The automotive industry is changing from internal combustion engine technology to electric mobility development, with drivers’ demand for battery EVs growing rapidly. But the number of workers and professionals who are ready for positions in EV manufacturing has increased slowly, said Mr Uthane.
“The Thai educational system hasn’t matched the need in EVs and related businesses, which want graduates with expertise in batteries, digital technology, and hardware and software development for EVs,” he said.
Many universities have been trying to improve their study programmes to produce graduates who can work for the EV sector and other new S-curve industries.
Universities are cooperating with foreign educational institutions, government agencies and companies to design the right courses for students and equip them with new skills required by EV manufacturers in Thailand, said Kitchanon Ruangjirakit, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi.
“Thai educational institutions have rapidly improved their courses to serve students, but they lack experts in EV technology,” said Mr Kittichanon, who also works for Evat.
“What we are doing is forging cooperation with foreign institutions on projects to exchange knowledge with one another.”
Evat is also working on a new EV curriculum in collaboration with Dassault Systèmes, a France-based company that specialises in developing software for 3D product design, simulation and manufacturing.
The company aims to help vocational schools and universities develop their study programmes that focus more on EV technology, said Benjamin Tan, director for sales and customer role experience for Asia Pacific South.
