Ms. Thanyaporn Krichtitayawuth, Executive Director of Global Compact Network Thailand, said about this seminar: "Thailand is in the process of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, as are many countries around the world. With Thailand's focus on the recovery of the digital economy, we can see a strong need to invest in upskilling and reskilling the workforce, especially in the ICT industry. High-level and multilateral policy dialogues and exchanges are key opportunities to share good practices and deliberate on how to address common challenges. They are also an opportunity to commit to collective and coordinated efforts and expand partnerships. Therefore, Huawei and GCNT have co-organized this Thailand Talents Talk series of seminars, which aims to build an open platform to discuss challenges, priorities, and practices for digital talent, and develop a set of recommendations for a sustainable society."
Mr. Edwin Diender, Chief Innovation Officer of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., shared Huawei's goal and best practice in enabling Thailand's digital skills development: "The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to socioeconomic development. On the other hand, it has also highlighted the importance of ICT infrastructure and digital literacy more than ever. Huawei hopes that through this Thailand Talent Talk series, we can encourage high-level and multilateral policy dialogues. This talk series is also positioned as an input process for the ongoing project of Thailand Digital Talent Development Whitepaper, which will be a comprehensive design to improve Thailand's talent development efficiency and quality."
He further added that Huawei Thailand is committed to increasing support for professional ICT personnel, SMEs, startups, students, and the general public through the Huawei ASEAN Academy. Previously, Huawei has contributed to the development of more than 52,000 digital talents to support Thailand 4.0. The Seeds for Future program, first launched in Thailand in 2008 which has so far benefited nearly 230 students and scaled-up as a regional event this year. In order to leave on one behind in the digital world, Huawei has launched a series of digital inclusion initiatives. For example, the Digital Bus will help educate over 1,500 primary school students in remote areas across 11 provinces in Thailand.
Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, spoke at the Thailand Talents Talk on the issue of Thailand's digital workforce: "The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation as companies and organizations continue to seek skilled workers to meet the challenges brought by the rise of the digital economy. It has now become very apparent that there remains a huge gap in digital talents across the Asia-Pacific region, including Thailand. As Thailand rapidly becomes the ASEAN leader in 5G infrastructure and industry applications, there is a growing need to invest in digital talent cultivation to face the coming S-Curve industries. According to our estimations and the Thailand 4.0 strategy, the digital economy is expected to account for 30% of the nation's GDP by 2030, which means a greater need for trained ICT talents. Moreover, according to a report by ONDE and Time Consulting, by 2030, the total demand for digital talents in Thailand will exceed 1 million, and there will be a 400,000-person gap in the digital workforce supply."
Ms. Ilaria Favero, Chief of Adolescent Development and Participation, UNICEF Thailand, was honored to join the Thailand Talents Talk. "We need to find creative ways to promote digital skills for children and young people - through the school education system and outside of it. It is and should be a key area of investment - in children's futures as well as that of Thailand," said Ms. Favero.
She emphasized the need to jointly find a solution involving government, nonprofit, and private sector stakeholders to bridge the digital talent gap in Thailand. "Solving the digital divide will come down to access, affordability and digital literacy and safety. Without access to devices and an affordable, dependable, internet connection, children cannot engage in online learning. And without proper digital literacy and competencies, teachers and young people cannot use technology safely to its fullest potential to enable engagement and learning."
Ms. Thunyamart Limugsorn, International Project Coordinator of Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI), said that "The pandemic has accelerated both the need for digital skills and the digital divide. To build skills for an accelerated digital future, TPQI is committed to developing digital literacy for all as well as improving skills of ICT professionals especially in the new fields such as data science, e-commerce, and e-learning by offering certification."
She also added that "TPQI collaborates with other government agencies to support e-commerce literacy development for marginalized groups. It also works with the International Organization for Migration to provide e-commerce literacy training to migrant workers. In addition, the collaboration between UNICEF and TPQI support lifelong learning and aim particularly at using the E-Workforce Ecosystem to pave multiple pathways and opportunities for young people, especially the most disadvantaged, to acquire relevant skills."
Innovation and development rely on a talent ecosystem. Huawei is prepared to work with its partners to build a talent development ecosystem conducive to innovation. Huawei is proud to be part of Thailand's telecommunication footprints for the past 23 years, with strong support from customers and ecosystem partners. The digital world is becoming as essential as running water or electricity, Huawei is committed to building an inclusive, innovative, and vibrant ecosystem; attract and cultivate more digital talent; and jointly promote the development and prosperity of Thailand.
Source: Carl Byoir & Associates