The Ministry of Labour has moved forward in providing professional training to supplement the curriculum for processing and preserving food in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The project aims to alleviate suffering for those affected by Covid-19, creating jobs and generating income for people in the community to become entrepreneurs in the food business, providing security and stepping beyond Covid-19.
On July 2, 2020, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawa inspected, visited, and gave words of encouragement to professional trainees, in the project to alleviate suffering from Covid-19, under the Royal Volunteer Project piloted province in Nakhon Ratchasima. The supplementary vocational training course provided was on the processing and preservation of foods, which took place at the health park multi-purpose pavilion, Village No. 2, Suranaree subdistrict, Mueang, Nakhon Ratchasima. The Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour said that the Ministry of Labour is grateful of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen’s kindness and patronage in creating the Royal Volunteer Center for Volunteer Spirit together with the Ministry of Labour to carry out the Royal Volunteer Spirit Project pilot in Nakhon Ratchasima. The initiative included the supplementary vocational training course in food processing and preservation with the objective of helping unemployed people from the effects of Covid-19 to have a job and income to support families.
Mrs. Theanrat said that for the pilot province in Nakhon Ratchasima, the Ministry of Labour assigned the Nakhon Ratchasima Institute for Skill Development 5 to support speakers in supplementary vocational training. There were 11 models of processing and food preservation in the 30-hour course, from June 29 – July 3, 2020 with a target of 200 people. The project has already gained 225 participants. After training, the agencies under the Ministry of Labour in the area will fulfill tasks such as promotion of employment, coordination with various establishments in the area to bring professional group products to be sold in factories and taking applications of insured persons under Section 40 to promote people having social security. After the training is completed, the trainees can continue to apply their knowledge in their careers.
From monitoring the program, it was seen that trainees furthered their knowledge, such Ms. Samien Pradit, aged 49, who originally had a career selling food-to-order in front of her house, with a daily income of 2,000 Baht. She was affected by Covid-19 which resulted in fewer customers, only catering to those buying food to back home, resulting in less income. Hearing the news from community leaders, she applied for professional training in Thai cooking and food preservation courses. She has learned to cook directly from many speakers and many dishes such as fried noodles, Korat fried noodles, crispy noodles, chili pastes and Krathon Loi Kaew. After the training is completed, the knowledge gained will be further extended in her career, by making chili paste for sale online.
Meanwhile Mr. Surachat Wadkhoksung, Village Headman of Moo No. 1, Suranaree, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima, said that he will coordinate with market owners in the area to collect products of vocational groups that have been trained by agencies under the Ministry of Labour. He will procure and promote the products as a direct source of sales to consumers, to promote careers and create income for the people in the area to have a job.
Nakhon Ratchasima Labour Protection and Welfare Officer Mr. Kasemsan Khrueacharoen said that the Office of Labour Protection and Welfare have many networked establishments in the area. The office which will coordinate with these establishments to bring the products from the professional group to sell in factories, which will be another way to add value to the career group.
Thus, the cooperation of all sectors can be seen turning the crisis into opportunities for those affected by Covid-19 to have a job, gain skills and use that knowledge to further their careers to overcome the crisis during this time.
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Division of Public Relations
2 July 2020
