Learning through community service Pipop Udorn, vice-rector for academic affairs at Thammasat University, began his session with a little bit of background. Founded as the “University of Moral and Political Sciences” in 1934, Thammasat prides itself on being the “university of the people”. As proof of this, TU 100 Civic Education is a compulsory project-based course that sees students work in teams with communities in rural areas of Thailand. They aim to solve economic problems with creative solutions based on the students’ expertise in subjects such as accounting, law, architecture, medicine and engineering. Local, family-run businesses may suffer from a number of problems, noted Udorn, including a lack of communication strategy or marketing plan, poor product quality, limited distribution channels, inferior packaging and outdated design. The Thammasat dean described the course as “a real-world, project-based learning approach of working with community businesses and corporate partners so that students can master vital skills, including problem-solving, communication, business, teamwork and project management, while accomplishing measurable and meaningful outcomes for others”. He then outlined how the course works in practical terms. Student teams visit community businesses, conducting an in-depth analysis, making sure they understand its needs and strengths and documenting their visit in pictures and videos. The teams then return to Bangkok, where they develop an improvement proposal. The students present the idea to their advisors and course supervisors, learning from their comments and benchmarking with their peers in a variety of situations. Students go ahead with their plan following its approval and, midway through the semester, course supervisors visit the communities to check on progress. The teams make a big presentation to all parties at the TU 100 showcase held at the end of the semester. The projects end, but “learning and friendship seem to flourish”, remarked Udorn, adding, “the communities essentially are in a better position to continue and grow their business. Most of them remain in contact with us and our students.” What the future holds The future of work was the topic of the presentation given by LinkedIn’s Wing Kwan Ivan Wong, head of government and academic for North Asia. Wong noted that the platform has around one billion members, some 285 million of whom live in the Asia Pacific region. In terms of the companies active on LinkedIn, 31 per cent are SMEs, 33 per cent are mid-sized and 36 per cent are classified as large enterprises. The top five most in-demand jobs are software engineer, store manager, Java software engineer, project manager and retail specialist. Meanwhile, there has been a 25 per cent increase in jobs asking for AI-related skills. The LinkedIn executive referenced the trend for skills as a currency, quoting Singapore’s Minister for Education, Chan Chun Sing, who said that this way of working “must take precedence during the hiring process”. With a shift to a skills-first
Delegates enjoyed the Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant on the first evening
AMBA & BGA CEO Andrew Main Wilson with Chulalongkorn dean Wilert Puriwat
28 | Ambition | FEBRUARY 2024
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