The Labour Minister presided over the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Cooperation under the vocational skills development program for farmers, to help in the COVID-19 situation. The four courses included tractor driving, combine harvesting driving, small excavator operating and rice field tractor driving. The cooperation was between the Department of Skills Development and Siam Kubota Corporation, which took place at the Kubota Farm, Nong Irun, Ban Bueng, Chon Buri.
On June 5, 2020, at 10.00 hours, Labour Minister M.R. Chatu Mongol Sonakul presided over the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Cooperation under the vocational skills development program for farmers, to help in the COVID-19 situation. The MoC was signed between the Department of Skill Development and Siam Kubota Corporation at Kubota Farm (Nong Irun, Ban Bueng, Chon Buri). The Labour Minister said that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many establishments closing down or temporarily suspending business, causing workers to stop working, resulting in a lack of income. The impacts have also been especially felt in the agricultural sector. Agricultural machinery currently plays an important role in supporting production factors. Machinery saves farmers time and effort in manual labour, but there is a shortage of skilled drivers and operators. Therefore, it is important for all sectors to jointly develop Thai workers to have the skills needed to fit the labour market. The Ministry of Labour has therefore collaborated with Siam Kubota Corporation to carry out the farmer skills development project to help those affected by COVID-19 pandemic to have knowledge and skills of driving and operating machinery in the agricultural sector. The program consists of four courses including tractor driving, combine harvesting driving, small excavator operating and rice field tractor driving. This cooperation reflects that during difficult times, the public and private sectors are prepared to join hands to resolve problems in order to alleviate suffering among works and the general public. The initiative also promotes and develops skills fields that are in shortage, increasing the number of skilled workers, both in terms of quantitative and quality aspects in the agricultural sector. This is another pillar that can support the country.
In the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation, the Department of Skill Development’s Director-General Mr. Tawat Benchatikul signed the memorandum with Executive Vice President, General Manager of Sales, Marketing and Services of Siam Kubota Corporation Mr. Pisanu Milintanuch. The Department of Skill Development’s Director-General Mr. Vichai Piwsaard and Customer Service Manager from Siam Kubota Corporation Mr. Waikhha Hamala witnessed the signing. All four training courses take 18 hours of training, focusing on both theory and practice. Participants will be able to apply the knowledge gained in their careers and trainees will have the opportunity to take the national labour standards assessments on July 1, 2020. The pilot training will be conducted in the field of tractor driving in 5 provinces, namely Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Maha Sarakham, Phitsanulok, and Maha Sarakham. Each province will have 3 batches of 20 people for a total of 300 people. In the future, the training will be available nationwide, focusing on the target groups of workers in agriculture and unemployed people affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 virus.
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Division of Public Relations
