Essential Skills for Thai Graduates to Work in the 21st - Century Workforce: An Entrepreneurs’ Perspective

Main Article Content

Kanda Janyam

Abstract

This study aimed to: 1) investigate the essential skills required for Thai graduates in the 21st -century workforce from the perspective of entrepreneurs, and 2) examine the entrepreneurs’ perspective on essential skills for Thai graduates entering the 21st -century workforce across various types of establishments. Employing a sequential mixed-methods approach with multilevel sampling, the study utilized in-depth interviews with ten entrepreneurs for the qualitative phase and surveys with 400 entrepreneurs for the quantitative phase. Qualitative data were analyzed using typological analysis and analytic induction, while quantitative data were processed using mean, standard deviation, and one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, technology, information literacy, media literacy, accountability, leadership, and adaptability are essential skills for 21st - century Thai graduates. Within the 'learning and innovation' domain, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving were rated at a high level, whereas teamwork received a moderate rating. Skills in the 'technology, information, and media literacy' domain were rated highly across all categories. Regarding 'life and career skills,' leadership and adaptability were rated at a high level, while accountability was rated moderately. In addition, the results indicated no significant differences in entrepreneurs' perspectives on these essential skills across different establishment types.

Article Details

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Research Articles

References

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