Mr. Pipit Aneaknithi, KBank President, said, "KBank is a digital technology-driven organization. We are determined to leverage our digital expertise to support the bolstering of Thailand's capabilities amid the challenge of technology disruptions in the business sector and various industries. According to the "Future of Jobs" report by the World Economic Forum, by 2025, more than half of employees worldwide must be reskilled in order to adapt themselves to the ever-evolving technology that will shape the future world. Meanwhile, data from Amazon Web Services indicates that 90 percent of Thai organizations would seek personnel with digital skills, and 93 percent of Thai workers who have completed digital skill training have increased opportunities for promotion. In addition, workers utilizing digital skills in Thailand have contributed more than 1 trillion Baht to the economy.
KBank has implemented the SKILLKAMP project with the aim of supporting the target group of new-generation students and workers in the digital and technology fields, including those in other fields of study who are interested in boosting their self-development competency for career growth. The Bank designed the related workshop with the SEEN platform from BASE Playhouse, a startup that specializes in learning process design. Additionally, the Bank collaborated with leading business organizations and technology experts, including Ascend, KASIKORN Line, Rise, Storylog and ThaiBev, in organizing courses that focus on the development of digital skills in five professions that are the most sought-after in the labor market. These include: 1) business analyst; 2) data analytics and visualization; 3) front-end developer; 4) performance marketing; and 5) web developer. The project garnered overwhelming response from over 2,800 participants, and the 45 finalists were given the opportunity to present their digital business models to such leading companies.
Mr. Maytwin Pitipornvivat, CEO & Co-founder, BASE Playhouse, said, "BASE Playhouse and KBank have leveraged strengths of the two organizations in the development of this project to meet the needs of the new generation. While KBank is a partner with vast network of leading companies and have multiple channels to disseminate useful information to the new generation, BASE Playhouse has the SEEN platform, which has been developed based on the belief that meaningful learning can be derived from self-realization of one's own capabilities and shotcomings. SEEN is a platform that can precisely and effectively measure skill and capacity. It is built based on research on learning that encompasses hard skills, which are assessed on academic capabilities, and soft skills that are necessary for each professional in addition to fraud prevention system. Given these capabilities, the SKILLKAMP project will serve as a venue for the new generation to fully show their potential in respective fields."
To build on such success, SKILLKAMP recently launched a platform that brings together courses for future skills that are in strong demand in the labor market, on the SKILLKAMP.com website. These include more than 250 free digital courses designed by 14 leading online course developers, including 9Expert, BorntoDev, ConicleX, DataRockie, FutureSkill, HACKaTHAILAND, Klasssi, LINE Developers Thailand, PrasertCBS, SkillLane, Thai MOOC, ThaiWinner, WeStride and Zinglecode. An outstanding feature of the SKILLKAMP.com website is that it screens only quality courses and recommends guidelines on how to improve learning that suit the needs of each learner. Additionally, the website offers learners a venue to consult with experts in various forms, thus helping save time and meeting their learning needs. In the future, learners' behavior will be analyzed, allowing the Bank and its subsidiaries access to qualified personnel.
Mr. Pipit added, "The Bank is confident that participants in the SKILLKAMP project will be equipped with the required knowledge and gain valuable experience, which can be used to improve their current work and develop necessary skills for their career advancement. Additionally, the project helps entrepreneurs, especially SMEs that are looking for technology personnel for business development or digital transformation, to gain easier access to quality personnel with qualifications that meet their needs, thus being an important force in bolstering business growth and driving the Thai economy in the future business world."
Opinions from workshop participants
Mr. Thannatorn Jakkhambang, a new graduate from the Faculty of Management, Aviation Business, Mae Fah Luang University, said, "I am a new graduate and is interested in marketing, but I do not have any knowledge and experience about it. I tried to apply for the SKILLKAMP project when I heard about it. Having done the test and entered the business case round, I have seen new perspectives in marketing. I have also received good feedbacks from the judges for my work. Their recommendations are issues that I may not have realized, thus fulfilling my appetite for knowledge and experience."
Ms. Paweenut Tananusak, a fourth-year student at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, said, "I decided to participate in the SKILLKAMP project because I am interested in and keen on developing my performance marketing skills. The workshop arranged by SKILLKAMP is concise and comprehensive, and I completed it within one month. I worked alone with a time limit and got specialized mentors' advice which can be further applied to other works. It is challenging for me to try and improve the skills I need."
Mr. Kantikorn Sornsuriyawong, a first-year student pursuing a vocational diploma in computer software development, said, "SKILLKAMP is an extensive program welcoming qualified applicants with varied knowledge and experience. Companies participating in the project are in my field of interest. Attending the business case session, I got good advice from specialized mentors. If the SKILLKAMP project organizes activities like this again, I would recommend those who are interested in these fields to join. It's a good opportunity for us to actually try things out, developing ourselves and gaining experience as we enter the IT field."
Ms. Natnicha Thanapoonyanan, a third-year student at Thammasat University's Faculty of Economics, said, "I am looking for an internship. Noting that the SKILLKAMP workshop by KBank is open for applications for persons interested in digital work, I participated in it, and do prefer its novelty. My first-time business case management is challenging and difficult. However, I've learnt new skills and gained experience."
Source: KASIKORNBANK
