Dutch show Thailand how to tap young minds for national progress

Each year a fresh batch of members is given four months to find solutions for deep-seated issues that have baffled bureaucrats and other officials. 
A question that often surfaces is, why does this think-tank succeed in finding solutions where officials have failed? This year a medical graduate in the think-tank offered an answer: it is probably due to professional blindness, a global phenomenon. Bureaucrats, labour unions, employers and ministry officials are often limited by narrow concerns and self-interests. The think-tank, however,  is independent.
In the past the NTT has found solutions for vocational education, the health service and the handling of big data. The NNT is supported by a  fixed group of experts, eight universities and the Royal Dutch Institute of Science.
This year, it succeeded in finding solutions for the job market and improving the situation of “vulnerable” groups in society, which have been reported to government.
One of the conclusions in this year’s report is that the government is not taking sufficient measures to manage the coming unemployment wave. The workforce will become smaller due to automation, thus many workers must start preparing for change, with the help of employers and the government. We cannot wait for the moment that they have to clear their desks. 
Thailand will face the same problem in the very near future. Many jobs in Thailand are automation-prone, so students and the present workforce should be warned and given advice and information – especially about the transition to an online, Thailand 4.0 economy. This will influence their choice of education today. In Europe, shops are moving towards unmanned automation – a bad dream for today’s Thai 7-Eleven employees. 
The Dutch independent think-tank idea could be applied here as a way of solving such problems. Under a theme of “Thai Excellence”, it could offer a way for the new generation to forge a better future for themselves, society and especially the rapidly increasing elderly population.
Dirk Sumter