General SurachetChaiwong, Deputy Minister of Education, received a courtesy visit of Mr. Bradley Rickelman, U.S. Department of State exchange participant, endorsed through the Professional Fellows Program of Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
A native of Oklahoma and Assistant Director of the Meridian Technology Center for Business Development, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Mr. Rickelman is on a mission to support a series of tailor-made trainings in “Advanced Entrepreneurial Education” for 51 vocational colleges nationwide and “Accelerating Tourism-based Enterprises” for 16 vocational colleges in SuratThani, Phuket and Phang-nga. These sessions are hosted under collaboration between Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) and U.S. Department of State Professional Fellows Program with primary objectives to strengthen management skills of OVEC incubator administrators and to promote creative networks among these administrators in different regions throughout the country.
Participating administrators will gain knowledge on startup ecosystem, financial literacy, intellectual property as well as tips and techniques on how to effectively manage business incubators. This program is designed toequip administrators with the skills they need to launch practical incubating programs for their vocational students and to improve the quality of Thai entrepreneurial education to meet international standards.
“Enhancing vocational education standards is our top priority, and we are delighted to have U.S. Department of State as our partner for sustainability and economic empowerment,” said General SurachetChaiwong.
There are currently 416 entrepreneurship incubators nationwide, operating under public vocational colleges and institutes. Over 10,000 students are being trained each year, and hundreds of new SMEs emerge from these incubators. The ministry is consistently providing on-going support to every incubator to make sure sustainable growth exists and accelerates.
Written by อรพรรณ ฤทธิ์มั่น, ขอบคุณข้อมูล คณะทำงาน รมช.ศึกษาธิการ Photo Credit อิทธิพล รุ่งก่อน Rewriterนวรัตน์ รามสูต Graphic/Editor
