On March 9, 2025, the Rajamangala University of Technology, alongside Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production Limited and the Association for Promoting and Developing Human Resources STEM for the Future (IAFSW), launched the Green Career online platform, aimed at cultivating sustainable skills for future careers. The announcement marks a significant step to align educational offerings with the increasingly environmentally-focused job market, emphasizing the collaboration between academia and industry to meet contemporary demands.
The Green Career platform is envisioned as part of a broader effort to prepare Thailand’s workforce for the upcoming shifts necessitated by climate change and sustainability challenges. Rajamangala University’s President, Associate Professor Dr. Udomwit Chaisakulkiat, noted, “The platform is another way to help create opportunities for institutions, students, and the general labor force.” The initiative aligns with the United Nations Environment Programme’s assertion about the importance of transitioning to green jobs to mitigate global warming effects, as demand for environmentally sustainable work increases.
Chevron’s commitment to educational development plays a pivotal role, with Ms. Pornsuree Gonanta, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Chevron, stating, “Chevron believes people are the key driving force for the future.” She expressed the company’s long-standing efforts through initiatives such as the STEM Career Academies project, which has been enhancing youth capacities for the past eight years. This new platform is set to build upon those previous successes.
Targeting various aspects of the green economy such as agriculture, sustainable services, and eco-friendly product development, the curriculum includes innovative training methods like online self-study, community engagement, and project-based learning. Emphasizing lifelong learning, the educators collaborated with EduPark to create the content, ensuring the courses reflect both local and global standards, including those outlined by UNESCO-UNEVOC.
Speaking on the elements of curriculum design, Ms. Suwanni Khamman, President of IAFSW, remarked, “The course structure can be beneficial to both teachers and learners of all ages.” The platform offers flexible learning opportunities, allowing users to engage with the material at their own pace, making it adaptable for both formal and informal education sectors. Notably, the program covers significant themes spanning carbon footprint calculations, waste reduction strategies, and the need for sustainable economics.
This platform presents promising opportunities by enabling users to build their own knowledge bases through tech-enabled methods, ensuring accelerated and wide access to learning materials necessary for careers focused on sustainability. It emphasizes the importance of acquiring new skills, integrating knowledge within the framework of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thereby heralding progression toward environmental stewardship.
Various courses are planned, focusing initially on three main career pathways: culinary arts, elder care, and sustainable tourism. These pathways not only offer practical skill-building but also embrace the rise of green jobs, appealing to both current students and working professionals seeking to upscale or shift their careers.
The initiative is not just about immediate benefits; rather, it aims to establish lasting structural changes within educational practices and labor market strategies across Thailand. By responding to fossil fuel reduction and resource conservation needs, the Green Career platform aims to preemptively address the labor shifts expected due to environmental crises.
With its underlying premise rooted deeply within the economic narratives of the 21st century, the Green Career platform signifies not only the future of job training but also acts as a blueprint for sustainable practices across industries. Institutions such as the Rajamangala University are leading the forefront of educational reform, pushing boundaries to redefine what it means to prepare students for tomorrow's workforce.
Through strategic collaborations with public sector partners and major corporations, the commitment to transforming educational landscapes is clear. Notably, the tool is also expected to bolster employability and provide standardized qualifications through skills assessments, aligning with national workforce standards.
Experts speculate this shift is just the beginning; as various sectors iterate on the importance of sustainability within their operations, the demand for skilled professionals knowledgeable about environmental practices and green methodologies will only continue to grow.
Conclusively, the launch of the Green Career online platform stands as not only a response to immediate labor market needs but also as part of Thailand’s strategic vision for fostering resilience against the pressing challenges of climate change and economic fluctuation. The initiative opens pathways for lifelong learning and development, ensuring the workforce is adequately equipped to meet future demands, thereby paving the way for sustainable growth and stability.