Thailand Policy Lab x TFF: Thai People expected to live to 100. What Skills Do We Need For Lifelong Journey?

• • • no longer necessary to rush into the college-to-career pipeline. We should encourage ourselves to work and study simultaneously, taking time to discover our unique skills and enriching ourselves with more living experiences. 
    • Lifelong learning is an activity that people of every age group should know. As knowledge has no expiration date, life-long learning is an education one is free to pursue throughout life. By preparing ourselves to embrace novelty at all times, we can become more flexible and adaptable citizens when faced with crises.
    • Workers have to develop skill sets which are humanly irreplicable to machines, that is the skill to communicate with foreigners and people of different ages effectively.

The constantly evolving world has given rise to many new challenges, namely learning skills outside the fundamental education. In order to get everything set for future potential risks, Thai people have to acquire more skill sets. So far many business owners fare well in keeping up with the rising surges of “digital transformation.” However, many workers with a single skill set find themselves increasingly disfavored in today’s job market. With the arrival of COVID-19 virus, both public and private sectors face the urgency of adjusting to change and pursuing technology, an alternative expected to offer more convenience, work speed, and accuracy in work than human workers. 

Be that as it may, one question still remains: given the ongoing unemployment crisis and structural inequality that cannot be dismantled with the education system,  how can we afford adaptability in order to survive the current situation? The “we” in question does not mean only us readers, but also every single individual in the society who matters as much.

This is the third part of the Clubhouse series “Lessons from the Crisis,” hosted by Thailand Future Foundation and Thailand Policy Lab. This panel discussion intends to capture lessons learned from the present-day crises and find a way out for Thailand through the creative and sustainable approach to policy-making, bringing all involved parties together and jointly creating the future of this country. The guest speakers of this panel discussion include:

1. 1. 1. Dr. Kanchana Wanichkorn, Vice President of the Office of National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council.  Dr. Kanchana is a pioneering expert in the field of digital development. She has spearheaded various scientific and technological projects  for the best interest of every member of the society. 
      2. Parit Wacharasindhu, Chief Executive Officer of StartDee, an EdTech start-up based in Thailand
      3. Piriya Kulganchanacheewin, one of TEDxBangkok co-organizers and co-founder of Glow Story, a creative media agency committed to the mission of transforming society through storytelling.
      4. Vilasa Phongsathorn, Adolescent Development Officer at UNICEF Thailand country office. Vilasa has extensive experiences in collaborating closely with youth.

This is the summary of a 2-hour long discussion from that day.

If the future is ever-changing, what should we learn, exactly?

When the moderator poses a question about skills one should acquire at the moment, Dr. Kanchana is the first speaker to give the answer. She says that the most pressing matter in the job market right now is developing “immunity” among workers, helping them to be flexible and adaptable to the current professional setting. Technological adaptation, in particular, is urgently needed, as workers will have to work remotely and learn how to work with AI and machine learning. However, we should never forget to pursue more soft skills, such as social intelligence, innovative thinking, applicative thinking, and multicultural collaboration. All the skills listed are already an integral part of our everyday living, and thus can be easily developed.

Audience might wonder why collaboration skills are so necessary when the entire world is still upholding social distancing. Dr. Kanchana elaborates that they could be considered as  communication skills, too. At this trying time, teamwork skills are exceptionally critical.  When in-person meetings cannot happen, engaging in critical analysis and understanding the context of work will ensure better performances.

As a UNICEF officer with experience working with youth, Vilasa says that we are ushered into the era of the 4th industrial revolution, with AI gradually taking over human jobs. In spite of the circumstances, Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills still hold relevance. With empathy and mutual respect, the two human qualities much needed in the pursuit of adaptability, the EI skills cannot be replicated by non-human, artificially intelligent machines. As pointed out earlier by Dr. Kanchana, it is essential that we work with people of different cultures and ages. Being observant or perceptive of other human’s emotions will help broaden our horizon, allowing all of us to be more adaptable while the world continues to change. Vilasa also adds that another crucial skill for everyone is “learning to learn.” As the knowledge we possess today could be considered obsolete in the next year, the education system should be oriented towards this particular skill.

When schools kill creativity

Moving to the topic of the education system, Piriya brings up his own experiences with youth. Having seen so many young people in the past few years, he cannot help but recall Sir Kent Robinson’s remark that “school kills creativity.” The education system poses major hindrances for critical thinking by endorsing rote learning instead of questioning.

However, what happens right now is that students refuse to just sit and wait. They start questioning all the things taught by older generations and the world around them. It is true that the mission of the education system is to help students discover themselves and ignite their curiosity. However, with modern technology, they simply do not have to rely on it anymore. What is the point of paying hefty tuition fees when students can learn about History and other subjects from Youtube videos? They do not need to wait around for the education reform anymore.

Piriya says that many young people have asked him how he became so skilled at storytelling. The answer is understanding how thought processes work. Communication has  never been a one-sided activity; thinking beyond one’s self is a must. We have to learn how to collaborate with other people in order to express ourselves better (e.g. communicating with teachers for better academic outcomes, with older people we disagree with, or with potential funders about startup businesses grants). This skill requires creative ways to present your ideas. At the same time, the more senior people have to join hands with younger people, as well. Instead of treating younger generations as mere workforce, they have to learn to understand their dreams and the meaning of life in this new era,  lifting the limits to self-expression for youth.

Too much knowledge for Thai youth, too little conducive environment for learning

Parit remarks that it is difficult to point out which skill is indispensable right now, as the answer depends on the trajectory of the future. However,  based on the current situation, he could divide myriads of skills into the following 3 categories:

1. Technological savviness: knowing how to optimize technology, not just for e-commerce or remote learning, but for protecting one’s self from digital security threats. Senior citizens are especially in need of this skill, whereas younger generations who grow up  with modern innovation are more experienced in detecting anomalies.
2. Empathy: a skill irreplicable to the machines is a skill that fosters job opportunities and prevents technology from replacing humans. For this reason, empathy is that skill. Suppose that we are at the hotel, we would expect some human touch, instead of services from the machines.
3. Collaboration: Parit says that, unlike Indonesian students, Thai youth lack the communication skills in English, despite the fact that they learn English at an earlier age.  He suspects that the roots of such a problem is the way in which Thai students are forced to study hard, but not nurtured in the conducive environment for communication.

Will the next 20 years be the time of happiness or moments of misery for the aging population? 

Half way through the discussion, the moderator returns to the question of adaptability and skill development for senior citizens, based on Parit’s previous comments. Parit notes that given that population aging is now underway in Thailand, internet access should now be considered a fundamental right. Internet training courses must be catered to the aging population, especially teachers who are less proficient in technology compared to their students. Internet access also means access to public social services. The future of skill development goes hand in hand with the future of welfare for seniors, such as a basic income plan or cash assistance. With government programs, older adults would have enough resources to learn new skills.

Dr. Kanchana adds that the skill much needed for Thai seniors is “learning to unlearn,” letting go of old habits of doing things and embracing both active and proactive aging mindsets. At the moment, the life expectancy of an average person has already increased. For that reason, one is highly encouraged to prepare for a financially comfortable, healthy and happy life at an old age. The government must launch a new system of support for senior citizens, such as accessible learning platforms that could reduce inequality effectively.

Piriya concludes the topic by sharing his own experiences with social media. When Tiktok reached its peak of popularity, he felt too old for it. He found himself wanting to stick with one thing at a time instead of familiarizing himself with every emerging trend. As a result, he eventually failed to keep up with the ever-changing world. He emphasizes that the habit he wishes adults could unlearn the most is indulging in the delusion of superiority, believing that the more senior people will always be right and know better. It is time for adults to recognize and respect the humanity of their younger counterparts. Every member of society, young and old, is committed to help each other. Young people can maximize their technological proficiency, while older folks can utilize their resources in support of them. In this way, we can still have hopes for this country. 

Multi-stage Life: managing different roles in one life

After identifying the important skills for future work and living, the panel discusses concrete change and which organizations will assume the responsibilities of preparing for change. From the standpoint of a public-sector worker, Dr. Kanchana says that young people do not have to graduate from high school at the shy age of 17 and go to university right away. Given that Thai people will live longer, the prospect of studying and working at the same time does not seem so far away. In Europe, high school graduates normally take a gap year to get to know themselves better before enrolling in university. The statistics regarding student demography in the US higher education also reveals that the average age of first year students is now 21.

A “multi-stage life” will become the trending way of living. At one point of life, we might find ourselves managing different responsibilities and jobs. Schools and fundamental education thus must go through a structural overhaul, and make learning more flexible and accommodating towards diverse ways of living by endorsing e-learning. Younger generations  now prioritize skills over degrees. As people will always go through the process of “upskilling” and “reskilling,” it is essential that the government establish an academic credit bank system to incentivize citizens to pursue education. With this system, people can learn about anything and everything, accumulate the system-approved credits, then earn a degree by taking the exam.

Dr. Kanchana concludes that we need more public learning spaces for people to study and look for employment at the same time. In the future, the numbers of gig workers (independent workers who take on multiple jobs at a time) are expected to increase. These learning platforms will assist people in job-hunting and skill development.

In addition, Vilasa refers to the education model in Singapore. There, citizens of all ages and status are able to learn how to develop new skills via an e-learning platform called “Skillsfuture.” This platform is also supported by the academic credit bank system similar to the model mentioned by Dr. Kanchana. The government can design or implement incentive-based  policies or tools which allow citizens to use the system-approved credits for tax deduction. Most importantly, we must not forget that there are nearly 1.4 million NEETS (“Not in Education, Employment, or Training”) ages 15 to 24 in Thailand. If the society endorses social reintegration and vocational training for formerly criminalized people, they could emerge as the major workforce in the ageing country. We must not let this promising opportunity go to waste.

Parit brings a close to the panel discussion with examples of policies from his startup business. He remarks that the task of making policies suitable for the future is not the sole responsibility of the public sector. The private sector and every individual can take part in this mission. Other than schools and universities, business enterprises are another practice field where staff can improve their learning curve. In the past, Parit used the “supply-side” policy, in which the management provided training courses for staff.  He later realized that the budget used in that area should turn into self-development funds, so that the staff could make investment in knowledge any way they wanted. This “demand-side” policy yields the most benefits and responds to the individual needs of each staff member the most.

As lifelong Learning is indispensable for newer generations, future public and private policy must be able to meet their needs. Policy decisions from the public and private sectors will determine the pace of change. The most effective policy does not happen with the will of a single group. It must blossom from discussions and arguments among the majority of the society. It is true that both policy formulation and trials will require an immense amount of time, but the later we set out for change, the further we are from our goal.

Policy recommendations

• • • The most pressing matter in the job market right now is developing “immunity” among workers, helping them to be flexible and adaptable to the current professional setting. Technological adaptation, in particular, is urgently needed, as workers will have to work remotely and learn how to work with AI and machine learning. However, we should never forget to pursue more soft skills.
    • Population aging is now underway in Thailand, internet access should now be considered a fundamental right. Internet training courses must be catered to the aging population, especially teachers who are less proficient in technology compared to their students. Internet access also means access to public social services. 
    • The future of skill development goes hand in hand with the future of welfare for seniors, such as a basic income plan or cash assistance. With government programs, older adults would have enough resources to learn new skills.
    • It is essential that the government establish an academic credit bank system to incentivize citizens to pursue education. The government can design or implement incentive-based  policies or tools which allow citizens to use the system-approved credits for tax deduction.
    • We need more public learning spaces for people to study and look for employment at the same time. In the future, the numbers of gig workers (independent workers who take on multiple jobs at a time) are expected to increase. These learning platforms will assist people in job-hunting and skill development.