BANGKOK, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Thai Education Ministry official has expressed hope that closer vocational education cooperation with China will help prepare a skilled workforce for future-oriented industries.

Sanga Taechersai, deputy secretary-general of the ministry's Office of the Vocational Education Commission, said he looks forward to further expanding Thailand-China "Order Class" programs and other joint training programs leading to dual diplomas.

He also voiced hope that the two sides will broaden the range of relevant programs to serve future-oriented industries such as clean energy, semiconductor and AI and robotics, jointly training skilled workforce for the future.

Thailand and China have maintained close, fruitful cooperation in vocational education, Sanga said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 2026 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference, which runs from Thursday to Saturday in Tianjin, China.

Under an agreement with the Chinese Education Ministry's Center for Language Education and Cooperation, and within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides have established the China-Thailand Institute of Chinese Language and Technical and Vocational Education and Training as a platform for cooperation.

Through various programs, Thai students have improved their Chinese language proficiency and obtained vocational competency certificates based on Chinese standards in areas including electrical engineering, electric vehicle (EV) technology, mechatronics, electronics and digital business technology, Sanga said.

The two sides have also carried out "Order Class" programs under a tripartite cooperation model involving Thai vocational institutions, Chinese educational institutions and Chinese enterprises operating in Thailand.

According to Sanga, these programs provide full financial support through study and guarantee employment upon graduation in target fields such as mechanical and electrical engineering, information technology and advanced manufacturing.

Sanga believes that the key challenge now facing vocational education is whether it can adapt quickly enough to meet industry demand, particularly amid advances in AI, the EV industry and advanced manufacturing technologies.

"No country can, on its own, develop a workforce capable of meeting the needs of every technology," he said.

International exchanges involving curricula, technology, personnel and occupational standards can help shorten workforce development cycles and build a strong regional workforce ecosystem capable of supporting cross-border investment, he added.

On China's vocational education development, Sanga said China has long been at the forefront of the field, particularly in connecting vocational colleges with high-tech industrial supply chains and promoting Chinese vocational education standards internationally.

The Thai official expressed hope that Thailand and China will continue to deepen mutual learning in vocational education and jointly train a more skilled workforce.

Sanga depicted the Tianjin conference as a platform to exchange views on vocational education policies and visions among policymakers, representatives of relevant institutions, experts and scholars from around the world, and learn from global best practices in improving vocational education.

He said that training a skilled workforce for the future is a shared goal of Thailand-China vocational education cooperation, and that the Tianjin conference will serve as a new starting point for achieving the goal with tangible outcomes.