Phuket: Almost 50% of employers in Phuket need vocational graduates and only 15% require workers with a university degree, yet vocational study in "The Pearl of the Andaman Sea" is still looked down upon as a second-choice education option, a recent study found.
Consequently, Phuket is now flooded with a surplus of university graduates and badly needs a vocational workforce, president of the Phuket Provincial Education Council Banthoon Thongtan said, referring to details released by Dhurakij Pundit University Research Centre.
As a result, the problem of job mismatching in Phuket is likely to increase over the next five years if the problem is not solved, Mr Banthoon told a panel discussion about the direction of education in Phuket.
The talk was organised by the Quality Learning Foundation.
Mr Banthoon said the problem stems from society's negative attitude towards vocational schools as most parents value university degrees more highly, and encourage their children to pursue an academic education rather than a technical one.
"Students need career guidance from experienced teachers, while parents need to understand the job market in Phuket. A university degree does not guarantee a job any more because most employers need skilled labourers," he said.
The absence of excellence in many technical and vocational fields could carry a high cost for Phuket if demand for skills in the job market is not matched by supply, Mr Banthoon added.
According to Kiatanatha Lounkaew, assistant to the vice-president for the DPU Research Centre, Phuket needs skilled labour in sectors such as tourism, communication technology, construction and engineering.
The five most sought after personnel are general labourer, sales manager, ship's electrician, cleaner and hotel receptionist.