Spearheading the move to integration

Dr Anantawat Kunakorn, Dean of the International College at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), has urged Thai and other Asean students wanting to study engineering and related programmes in English to apply for seats.
The international college was set up about four years ago, with one objective being to use English as the medium of teaching.
“KMITL was founded over 50 years ago as part of the bilateral cooperation between Thailand and Japan. We’re widely recognised for our high-quality engineering programmes in Thailand so it’s time for us to expand our reputation to other Asean countries,” says Anantawat.
“Before, we offered several courses at the international college, but starting from this academic year we decided to trim it down to three programmes, namely, one undergraduate course in software engineering and another two graduate programmes in logistics and supply chain management as well as in automotive engineering.”
“Software engineering is the most popular, with a lot of applications for this programme. Overall, we have 150 students. Those who finish software engineering can work independently and become entrepreneurs.”
“Regarding development of applications for mobile devices, we have also opened a series of courses on iOS for Apple and related devices. Later on, we will offer [courses in the] Android operating system as well.”
“With regard to logistics and supply chain management, we think it’s very important for Asean countries due to the [2015] economic integration. Thailand can also be a logistics hub for Asean due to the country’s linkages with other countries via cross-border highways, railways, seaports, etc. There will be a high demand for experts in this field.’”
“Automotive engineering is another interesting field due to the large number of parts makers and auto plants in Thailand. NSTDA, or the National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand, has also provided financial support to this programme.”
“The total number of KMITL’s faculty members is around 1,000 and about 50 work for the international college. We also have academic partners around the world, such the University of Glasgow in the UK for our software engineering programme. This means our students who finish the first and second years can transfer their credits to Glasgow to study in the third and fourth years.”
“For auto engineering, we work with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, which provides visiting professors to lecture in this programme. Some of our graduates also got scholarships to further their PhD study at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.”
“Other academic partners include the Technical University of Friedberg in Germany and the University of Applied Science in Frankfurt.”
“Our primary objective is to prepare Thai students for the international working environment, such as the AEC, or Asean Economic Community. The second objective is to create attractive programmes that can draw foreign students to study here.”
“Thailand is joining the AEC along with nine other Asean states, which will open up the cross-border market for skilled labour. Thai students will have the chance to sharpen their English skills to work outside the country.”
“Singapore and Malaysian universities have invested a lot to attract foreign students, so Thai universities have to work harder to be successful and we also need greater government support,” says Anantawat.
“The government should provide scholarships to foreign students, such as those from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar [Burma] to lay down a foundation to attract more foreign students. We should not be thinking about profits now. When the AEC becomes well established, this kind of investment will pay off.”