Strategies for Competency Development of Trainers and Labor Skill Trainees of the Department of Skill Development, Ministry of Labor

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to 1) investigate the current competency of trainers and labor skill trainees of the Department of Skill Development; 2) formulate the competency development strategies of trainers and labor skill trainees of the Department of Skill Development. The key informants of the study were 75 people selected by purposive sampling: the education specialists, policy and planning specialists, directors of the Institute for Skill Development, directors of Skilled Labor Development Center, directors of private schools, and trainers. The research instrument was a semi-structured interview constructed by the researchers, with the content validity index (CVI) ranged from 0.80 to 1.00, and the main issues for the focus group.

The findings were as follows: 1) Trainers lack analytical thinking skills, creative thinking skills, foreign language skills, cross-cultural knowledge, and individual development plan. As for the development of labor skill trainees, the training course only focused on the skills used in particular occupations, there was no clear development content related to social skills, which were essential in the 21^st century, such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, innovative thinking, and cross-cultural knowledge. Most of the trainees were poor, lived in rural areas, and did not receive information regarding skill development; 2) The development of trainers’ competency consisted of 4 strategies, which were (1) the development of advanced technological expertise to support creative and innovative industries, (2) the integration of competency development network in public and private sectors, and related agencies,