Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Training or enslavement? Making internship ethical
Christopher Bruton, Published on 02/04/2018
» "Unpaid, unadvertised, unfair" is how the UK's Sutton Trust described the situation of many intern workers in that country. Enough real slavery still exists in the world today (including both in Thailand and in the UK). There is certainly no need to introduce institutionalised enslavement into established workplaces. However, many of the characteristics of slavery are fully part of the conditions of modern-day internship: no pay, hard work, long hours. While torture is presumably absent, there is the mental torture of fearing that a negative employer's report may deny an intern a successful subsequent employment opportunity.
Manpower solutions for workforce challenges
Christopher Bruton, Published on 05/02/2018
» Sourcing competent, reliable and skilled workforce in a full employment situation is a major challenge for every employer, large-scale or small-scale. Offering ready-made and tested solutions is a role that has been provided for 70 years world-wide and 20 years in Thailand by the Manpower Group. Manpower operates worldwide through 3,500 offices in 80 countries, serving over 400,000 clients.
Human resource wish-list for 2018
Christopher Bruton, Published on 03/01/2018
» Wouldn't it be wonderful if all our New Year wishes could be granted in the next twelve months? Actually the wishes expressed below could all become realities, or, at least, a start made on them, if government policy-makers have the determination to address these issues. Our New Year wishes for 2018 fall into three categories: some that would enhance the skills of young people entering the labour force; some that would benefit those already in the labour force; and finally some that would benefit those in the evening of their working lives or beyond.
The quest for fair and decent work
Christopher Bruton, Published on 30/10/2017
» Workforces the world over are now demanding more than just a living wage. Whether in developed or developing countries, there are calls for supplementary benefit systems, opportunities to make meaningful progress throughout their working lives, the means to supplement basic wages with additional earnings, and treatment with decency and respect during and outside their working hours, within or outside of their regular workplaces.
Is English language proficiency the passport to business success?
Christopher Bruton, Published on 04/09/2017
» English language, mathematics and science have been defined as the essential basis for modern education. But for Thailand, recent comparative testing has indicated that these "must have" skills are often "don't have" skills holding back economic progress.
Thailand's challenge: Rich in ambitions, poor in people skills?
Christopher Bruton, Published on 22/05/2017
» Announcement of visionary and ambitious plans has become almost routine. The year 2017 will apparently not be an election year (nothing new about that) but has begun with boom times in the planning sector. In January 2017, we were treated to announcements about "Thailand 4.0". These were soon followed by further revelations about the "Eastern Economic Corridor". These schemes are all part of government strategies to move Thailand into "Thriving in the 21st century: security, prosperity and sustainability". The 21st century has been going for quite a while now, but "better late than never", and "never" had become quite a routine in recent years.
Career transition: keeping skills within the workforce
Christopher Bruton, Published on 14/11/2016
» Even highly successful companies often downsize or change the structure of their workforces. This can happen because of new technologies, change of nature of operations, mergers and acquisitions or other reasons. When such staff structural modifications take place, best practice companies will turn to career transformation specialists for what are often called out-placement or off-boarding services.
Reverse mentoring: youth and seniors reverse roles
Christopher Bruton, Published on 15/08/2016
» Youth and seniors have traditionally lived in different worlds, where "ne'er the twain shall meet". Moreover, today even a difference of one generation can mean a world apart in terms of technological knowledge and skills.
Can Thailand’s vocational education meet employment needs?
Christopher Bruton, Published on 13/06/2016
» Employers, human resource specialists, bilateral and multilateral government agencies complain that Thailand’s vocational education fails to provide the training and skill sets to enable young workers to meet the needs of modern industry.