This report is part of a series of country projects within the OECD programme of work on Building Effective National Skills Strategies, and part of the Thailand Country Programme, Phase 2.
The OECD is grateful to Thailand’s Project Team for its invaluable guidance and input throughout the project. We are particularly grateful to the representatives of the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) for their dedicated co‑ordination of this project with various government ministries and agencies. Furthermore, the OECD wishes to thank the many other representatives who provided invaluable input throughout the project, including from the Office of the Education Council (OEC), the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI), the Ministry of Labour (MOL), and the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), among others. In particular, we would like to thank the following representatives for their contributions to the consultation and development process: Dr. Rangsan Thepmondhri, Director of Public Sector Development at OVEC; Dr. Sasirat Viravaidya, Director of the Bureau of Foreign Cooperation Policy at OEC; Dr. Prapatpong Senarit, Former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education; and Assoc. Prof. Bundit Thipakorn, Chair of the Taskforce on Next Generation of Thailand Skill Biased Graduates and Workforces. Our warm thanks also go to all the representatives who generously shared their insights during the virtual missions and who provided additional written input.
While the report draws upon data and analysis from the OECD, Thailand’s authorities and other published sources, any errors or misinterpretations remain the responsibility of the OECD team.
Bart Staats was the OECD Project Leader responsible for managing this OECD Skills Strategy project in Thailand. The authors of the report were: Abigail Sageev, OECD Centre for Skills (Chapter 1 and Chapter 4), and Maria Regina Tongson, consultant OECD Centre for Skills (Chapter 2 and Chapter 3). Andrew Bell, Head of OECD Skills Strategies, provided analytical guidance and supervised the project. El Iza Mohamedou, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills, oversaw the project, while Stefano Scarpetta, OECD Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, and Mark Pearson, OECD Deputy Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, provided strategic oversight.
Tara Byrne (OECD Centre for Skills) and Jennifer Cannon (OECD Centre for Skills) provided invaluable support for mission organisation, report layout and design and publication planning.
On 17 June 2024, the OECD Council decided to open accession discussions with Thailand. The Roadmap for the OECD Accession Process of Thailand was adopted on 10 July 2024. In accordance with the Roadmap, Thailand will undergo in-depth reviews by the OECD technical committees listed in the Roadmap. This report forms part of the Thailand Country Programme Phase 2 (2023-2025) and was carried out separately from Thailand’s accession process.