Bridging Skills Gaps: Enhancing Adult and Vocational Education for Thailands Workforce in the Digital Era

บทคัดย่อ

Background: Thailand's workforce confronts substantial skills gaps exacerbated by rapid digital technological advancement and evolving job market demands, threatening economic competitiveness and sustainable development. Traditional vocational education systems emphasizing rote learning and outdated curricula inadequately prepare workers for digital economy requirements including technical proficiency, critical thinking, adaptability, and continuous learning capabilities. The persistent mismatch between workforce competencies and employer expectations—particularly pronounced in technology sectors and sustainable practices—necessitates comprehensive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system modernization ensuring alignment between educational outcomes and labor market needs while promoting inclusive growth and lifelong learning accessibility.

Purpose: This research examined strategies for enhancing adult and vocational education to bridge Thailand's workforce skills gaps in the digital era, analyzed current TVET landscape identifying systemic limitations constraining effective skills development, evaluated global best practices and successful case studies demonstrating innovative vocational training approaches, assessed digital technology integration impacts on educational accessibility and learning outcomes, and developed comprehensive recommendations emphasizing public-private partnerships, flexible learning models, competency-based curricula, and inclusive policies addressing marginalized populations including individuals with disabilities and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

Methods: The study employed qualitative analytical methodology integrating literature review examining TVET systems across Asia-Pacific regions and international contexts, case study analysis evaluating successful vocational programs in Thailand and comparative global implementations, policy document examination assessing government initiatives supporting workforce development and skills training, and stakeholder perspective analysis exploring barriers including teacher resistance to pedagogical innovation, inadequate professional development, and inequitable technology access across socioeconomic contexts affecting digital literacy acquisition and educational equity.

Results: Analysis revealed critical gaps: traditional teacher-centered pedagogies resisted transition to student-focused, technology-integrated approaches despite reform initiatives, Thai vocational graduates demonstrated lower employability skills readiness compared to regional counterparts particularly Malaysian students, digital divide perpetuated inequalities with rural and low-income populations lacking technology access for effective digital learning participation, and insufficient industry-education collaboration limited practical training relevance. Successful interventions demonstrated public-private partnerships enhanced curriculum alignment with industry needs, flexible e-learning models improved accessibility for adult learners balancing work-family responsibilities, competency-based training emphasizing both technical and soft skills (communication, problem-solving, adaptability) increased employability, and inclusive programs targeting marginalized groups improved productivity and workforce participation rates.

Conclusions: Transforming Thai adult and vocational education requires integrated strategies combining technology adoption with pedagogical innovation, public-private partnership cultivation, lifelong learning promotion, and equitable access assurance through targeted policies supporting sustainable workforce development.