University-industry linkage through cooperative education in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand has tried to develop co-operative education programmes in many areas, but especially in those related to the industrial arena (e.g., quality control, engineering, IT, and human resources). Though co-op programmes are flourishing, there might have been a misconception on what co-op education really is. Interviews showed that there is still much room for improvement not only in terms of curriculum content, but also recruitment of students. Many lack basic knowledge and skills, and the current co-op programmes do not seem able to correct this. The research showed that the key for improvement is the development of a new actor in education: the university supervisor overseeing co-op assignments. Training has not been done properly, and trainers are often lost in their new duties, unable to handle properly the widely acclaimed university- company interaction.