Amcham Thailand Foundation hosts Career Camp for university, vocational grads
The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand Foundation (ATF) held its annual Career Camp from August 18-21, offering Thai students essential career skills. Supported by FedEx, the camp included mock interviews, communication training, and professional social media use.
It also provided networking opportunities for scholarship recipients to get to know each other and the AMCHAM business community.
The ATF’s commitment to fostering Thailand’s next generation of leaders, especially those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, is exemplified by the Career Camp. The program offers robust career readiness workshops designed to bridge the gap between academia and the professional world. This year, the program expanded its focus to include vocational scholarship students, underscoring the ATF’s dedication to developing a skilled workforce across various educational backgrounds.
During the Career Camp, professionals and guest speakers from the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) member companies, including 3M Thailand, BDO Advisory Services, Bitkub Capital, Cargill Siam, Citibank, CoffeeWorks, FedEx Express, GP Strategies, HP, InnerSpark Group, International SOS Services, JacksonGrant, Lazada, Mastercard, MINOR International, Mondelez, On Art Creation, PCS Security & Services, Persolkelly, Sasin School of Management, The Mobius Agency, Tilleke & Gibbins, United Overseas Bank, and Yannix shared their expertise through presentations and workshop sessions and volunteered in HR mock interviews. These industry experts provided invaluable guidance and inspired students to pursue their career goals.
“The camp is well organized, allowing me to reflect on myself and become aware of the need to develop professional skills before entering the professional world,” said Wanissa Ruenarkas, a fourth-year student from Mae Fah Luang University. Kanyawee Pimpuru, a second-year student from Chonburi Technical College added, “Coming from a vocational background and being the first AMCHAM Vocational Scholarship recipient, I have received so much positivity and motivation to improve myself in languages, especially communication skills.”
The AMCHAM Vocational Scholarship Program, launched in 2023, recognizes the importance of vocational education in addressing Thailand’s workforce demands. By supporting vocational students, the ATF is contributing to the development of a skilled and adaptable workforce.
ATF Vice President Heidi Gallant expressed the foundation’s commitment to providing ongoing career guidance to AMCHAM Scholarship students beyond the camps. “AMCHAM and the Foundation place great importance on building a strong and lasting bond with our scholars. These students come from provinces across Thailand and the orientation and the career camps that we organize provide a valuable opportunity to foster the connection with these talented scholars as they transition into the local workforce.” In 2024, the Foundation will award 76 university scholarships and 18 vocational scholarships.
The Career Camp concluded with a certificate ceremony honouring the participants’ achievements. Sakilla Machema, Taksin University and Pongpalin Sakkaekaew, Naraesuan University, delivered a compelling address to an audience of AMCHAM members, sharing their experience and expressing gratitude for the ATF’s support.
The ATF extends its appreciation to FedEx for their generous sponsorship and to HP for providing laptops to support resume-writing workshops.
