Education and human resource development in the EEC have objectives. It aimed at responding to the creation of a new economy and driving Thailand towards new progress in 12 target industries. Burapha University is the EEC’s university, focusing on developing human resources and education to produce quality individuals with skills aligned with demands. They can continuously advance themselves in a lifelong learning system that promotes progress in education by collaborating with EEC HDC, an educational institution at the tertiary and vocational levels in Thailand’s eastern region. They establish centers of new learning networks in various fields to develop knowledge and skills using shared resources among institutions. They also collaborate with relevant industries to produce and innovate personnel, create new courses, and support industry adaptation towards Industry 4.0.
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The current new learning network centers of EEC are called “EEC Net”, which consists of a total of 10 centers. Among these, 3 centers are under the responsibility of Burapha University.
The EEC Automation Park, located at the Faculty of Engineering, Burapha University, was established in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. This partnership provides support in terms of equipment, model tools, manufacturing systems, and technology transfer in automation for smart factory production lines. This initiative plays a crucial role in elevating the development of automation system skills, fostering automatic system learning, robotics, robotic arms, and smart factory systems to enhance workforce development.
Furthermore, it supports the industrial transformation towards smart factory systems. Over the years, this center has contributed to the development of personnel in various dimensions, with nearly ten thousand individuals annually, including production students, interns, and short-term trainees, and serving as a learning hub for students and the general public. Additionally, it plays a role in adapting and improving manufacturing facilities, participating in the development of production systems in collaboration with TARA and CoRe, leading to approximately 15 factories annually transitioning to creating an economic value of around 3-4 billion Thai Baht per year.
The New Era High-Quality Tourism Development Center, or ENTOUR, established by the Burapha Business School, Burapha University, aims to elevate the standards of modern tourism, diversify tourism quality, promote potential development, and foster high-quality tourism. Simultaneously, it aims to integrate with localities to incorporate their identities into the tourism economy, creating Soft Power across various dimensions. This collaboration aims to strengthen tourism systems with sustainable driving forces by working with over 15 domestic and international tourism industries. It focuses on producing skilled students and enhancing short-term workforce skills in the tourism industry, involving approximately 5,000 people annually. Collaboration with over 20 local communities in the EEC area aims to contribute billions to the economy annually. This foundational economy is expected to grow continuously, supporting tourism from today into the future.
The Electric Vehicle Conversion Expertise Center (EVcon) is located within the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Burapha University. It was established through collaboration between the Department of Electrical Engineering, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and EEC HDC. It coordinates with private sector industry groups interested in electric vehicle conversions.
Currently, it is advancing cooperation in developing personnel for EV and EV conversion in two areas: manufacturing and modifying cars, and establishing standards for EV conversion in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Department of Land Transport, 11 vocational colleges network, and local car garages network, supported by EEC HDC to drive the creation of a new industry aimed at creating comprehensive innovation, fostering economic opportunities for the local car garages, and driving the country towards a circular green economy, known as BCG, which will help alleviate household debt for people working in logistics and transportation from medium to small sizes. It’s evident that with over 2 million cars in operation for more than 10 years, it’s time to replace them. Converting old cars to electric ones will reduce fuel costs by more than one baht per kilometre, benefiting the government through carbon credits and significantly reducing pollution in the country. The center has been conducting advanced research and development, training personnel, and supporting people’s entry into this new industry, with over five generations and more than 100 people trained. This is an introduction and development of Thailand’s EV conversion potential to create an electric car modification industry, and efforts are underway to develop plans for this industry network jointly with four private sector partners. This center has a promising future and has the potential to create a high-value economy worth hundreds of billions, as well as effectively reach SMEs in the future.
