Briefs

Nineteen Thai food restaurants and enterprises have applied for "Thai Select" certification to allow them to export with confidence under the government's guarantee of authenticity and quality, the Commerce Ministry has revealed.

Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said the ministry would select more quality Thai food enterprises for the “Thai Select” stamp of approval to increase export opportunities for Thai food producers in the world market. 

The 19 enterprises produce 121 products in all, Nuntawan said, and the ministry will carefully scrutinise them to make sure they uphold the high standards of quality and trustworthiness required for “Thai Select” certification. 

Nuntawan said 1,503 “Thai Select” restaurants currently operate abroad, of which 266 were granted a premium certificate to provide superior service of authentic Thai dishes. 

In Thailand, 295 Thai food products have been awarded “Thai Select” certification to export to overseas markets.

The department aims to award more certificates to Thai restaurants worldwide, of which there are more than 13,000 in total.

 

UWC expects revenue |growth for next three years

Ua Withya (UWC), which produces power transmission lines and telecommunication towers, expects its revenue growth to continue during the next three years following the Cabinet’s recent approval of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat)’s projects to expand power transmission line systems nationwide to cater to a growing number of renewable projects.

Peratus Dhanarachwattana, UWC’s managing director, said the Egat projects are expected to create demand for steel towers for 500-kilovolt-transmission lines worth Bt10 billion during the next three years. 

The company will also benefit from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission’s auction of 1800MHz licences in November, which is estimated to create demand for telecom towers next year worth Bt1 billion.

 

Vietnamese nurses, orderlies needed to work in Japan

More than 510 Vietnamese healthcare workers have been selected for a special training programme to prepare them to work in Japan, the Overseas Labour Management Department has said.

Japan’s ageing population has stressed the country’s health system and opened up opportunities for Vietnamese nurses and orderlies, according to the department.

A nurse or orderly can earn about 40 million dong (Bt64,000) monthly in Japan.

Candidates must be under 35 years old, graduated from nursing college or university and have two years of experience. 

They also need to earn a medical practising certificate. They take an apprenticeship programme in Japan for up to three years for nurses and four years for orderlies.

Kansai Technical Cooperation Centre, which specialises in receiving and training overseas workers in the healthcare sector, has received more than 3,000 Vietnamese and Chinese workers in the last 10 years.

Kanemaru, director of Kansai, said Japan is currently facing a shortage of nurses and orderlies, while in Vietnam, graduates in this sector are either unemployed or they are paid modestly.

Ho Chi Minh City has 27 medical schools with almost 14,000 students, of which, 3,530 students are trained to be nurses. 

Up to half of the students graduating from non-public medical schools are unemployed or do jobs that are not relevant to their expertise.

Kanemaru said Kansai wants good Vietnamese nurses and orderlies to work in Japan.

Japan additionally needs about 56,000 nurses and orderlies as the elderly makes up over 30 per cent of its population. 

More than 40,000 Vietnamese currently work and study in Japan. – Viet Nam News/ANN