The Deputy Labour Minister presented the skills development policy to labour volunteers to raise the level of skills among informal workers, vulnerable groups, and those affected by Covid-19 to provide a sustainable income.
On October 8, 2020, Deputy Labour Minister Prof. Narumon Pinyosinwat presented the skill development policy and listened to the needs for skill development of informal workers, vulnerable groups, and workers affected by Covid-19, through volunteer workers. Sixty-nine representatives of labour volunteers coordinate work in the community and five people from a motorcycle hire network, totaling 74 people. The representatives received the Pakorn Angsusingh meeting room policies, 10th floor, Department of Skill Development.
Prof. Narumon said that the labour volunteers are those who voluntarily work for the Ministry of Labour. They play an important role in coordinating with various departments under the Ministry of Labour, both in the center, provincial areas, and abroad. The labour volunteers aid people or workers experiencing difficulties in the area and serve as an important role in public relations to disseminate relevant information to the people. This facilitates the creation of knowledge and understanding of basic services and benefits under the labour laws to job seekers and workers. They are also the primary liaison between jobseekers, workers, and people in the area, and collect information about basic labour needs and movements to consider the vacancy plan for workforce management.
The Deputy Labour Minister added that there are currently 2,066 Bangkok labour volunteers, consisting of 953 volunteer workers in the community of Bangkok and 1,113 taxi network workers. Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan realizes that the Ministry of Labour continues to provide opportunities for all labour groups, such as vulnerable workers, that may not be taken care of thoroughly. In the last National Labour Development and Vocational Training Coordination Committee meeting, it passed a resolution approving the establishment of a joint committee between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, using funding from the Fund for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, to develop professional skills for people with disabilities, including welfare cardholders The Ministry of Labour has supported this group since 2018-2019 and has continued to do so, to provide such groups access to employment. The Ministry of Labour also focuses on other workers, especially in other provinces, remote areas, and communities. Now, the Ministry of Labour’s Department of Skill Development has courses on online sales, or e-commerce, to provide workers with a channel to increase sales. The initiative is a collaboration with Kluaynamthai Hospital, giving 300 scholarships to students to study pastoral programs. Normally, this course has a tuition fee of approximately 9,500 Baht. Students who have passed the training, Kluaynamthai Hospital, will part of the group for employment and deploy the workers in various places. There are also training courses from companies such as Huawei’s 5G antenna installation course and Sinopec welder course.
“I would like to encourage all labour volunteers to perform their duties as a mediator, taking information to people in the community to understand the government’s missions and services. I ask that you continue to support the people, receive help quickly, and gain access to skills development courses with the Department of Skill Development, which has various training courses and agencies scattered in all areas of the country. Labour volunteers are an important mechanism in driving the Ministry’s mission to achieve its goals, especially in the development of the economy at the local and national level, in line with the implementation of the policy to create, elevate and give; uniting Thailand to build a nation, as well as the national strategy amid the country’s ongoing crisis,” concluded the Deputy Labour Minister.
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Division of Public Relations
8 October 2020
