People will lead more meaningful lives if Thailand provides an ecosystem for lifelong learning and fosters an environment for the grey workforce, a conference was told recently.
Nicha Pittayapongsakorn, a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), urged the public to learn new skills as people are living and working longer in an ageing society.
Ms Nicha proposed Thailand should develop a system to reskill the workforce in preparation for later stages of life.
"Our research as to why people don't learn new skills shows that 42.7% of respondents said they lacked time, 13.4% lacked motivation, and 3.2% the financial resources.
"We would like people to enjoy flexible learning and help them upgrade to in-demand and ready-to-use skills," she said.
"Inequality exists among workers because some professional skills are more valuable than others. Another factor is technological disruption," she told a TDRI conference held under the theme of longevity this month.
Ms Nicha drew attention to Singapore and France's state-and-employer sponsored personal training efforts.
"In 2016, Singapore launched MySkillsFuture for employees aged above 25 to develop industry-relevant skills.
"Meanwhile, France has introduced the CPF (Compte Personnel de Formation) training scheme for those aged above 15 this year. However, Thailand still lags behind when it comes to public-private partnerships in this area," she said.
Nevertheless, the TDRI researcher cited a few initiatives in Thailand for people who are keen to learn new skills.
"In Chiang Mai, the Buddy Homecare Programme works with the local university recruits and trains people for elderly care.
"Meanwhile, in Pattani, Wanita runs a programme to train local women, who cannot leave their home in fear of local unrest, to hone their handicrafts and develop skills in business," she said, referring to a social enterprise centre working to help women in the three southernmost provinces.
Learning new skills is not limited to the young workforce, Ms Nicha said.
Many organisations in Thailand have opened their doors to veterans who need to work to support themselves and their families.
"With the age-friendly policy in place, HomePro has found that people are eager to develop new skills," she said.
Nevertheless, the TDRI researcher suggested organisations must revamp their environment to support the grey workforce.
"Last year, 790,000 senior [Thai] workers suffered physical injury. We can study Japan's use of industrial exoskeletons to help them handle heavy tasks. In Germany, the BMW factory created a specific line of production for senior workers. With friendly ergonomics, they can perform better," she said.
Armed with such aides, stakeholders can develop an ecosystem which encourages lifelong learning, she said.