Research to be done for national qualifications framework
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Ahead of implementation of the Asean Economic Community's free flow of skilled labour, the Education Council has launched an experimental research project on educational level and career fields for the automobile, petrochemical, tourism and fishery indust
Secretary-general Sutthasri Wongsaman said last week that the National Qualifications Framework Advisory Board’s recent meeting approved a National Qualifications Framework and appointed the council to initiate the research project to propel the framework by next year.
The council will conduct research studies and gather comprehensive information that will be useful for planning agendas and designing strategic projects and related measures to enforce the framework, and hosting an international conference with Unesco Bangkok.
The Thai framework would also be in line with the Asean Qualifications Reference Framework.
The council has joined with the Asean Framework Committee and attended the working team’s six meetings with six Asean countries to formulate the Asean framework.
The Asean framework would facilitate links between a member country’s qualification reference to another via a central qualification reference framework to support the free flow of skilled labour within the Asean Community. Later, a common benchmark can be set.
Thailand’s framework consists of nine academic levels, going from lower secondary up to the doctoral level.
To achieve the framework, there are four guiding principles – promote life-long learning, increase acceptance to educational qualifications, encourage the transfer of study units and credits and the moving of students, plus promoting the movement of labour.
Starting next year, the Asean Framework will be used as the official guideline for labour movements in the career fields that pass the Asean common benchmark.
