CHEVRON ENJOY SCIENCE

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Chevron’s Enjoy Science Project is a US $30 million, 5-year, public private partnership to strengthen Thailand’s competitiveness and innovation by improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and technical vocational education and training (TVET) across the country. It will accomplish this through the development of STEM teachers and the roll out of STEM and Technical Vocational Education Hubs nation-wide, in order to build 21st century workforce skills for people in STEM-related industries such as automotive, energy, and agriculture. Partnering with a range of partners in civil society, academia, the private sector, and the government, Enjoy Science will directly benefit over 500,000 students, teachers, principals, government education officials, community members, and workers, providing increased career opportunities and higher wages. STEM and TVET in support of workforce development are significant to the country’s development, especially because of Thailand’s participation in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

WHAT IS STEM EDUCATION?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but STEM education is more than just those individual disciplines. STEM education is a comprehensive, interactive, and interdisciplinary approach that integrates the four STEM disciplines into a cohesive learning platform based on real-life applications. STEM education focuses not only on educating students, but also on transforming that knowledge into applicable, real-world skills.

WHY IS STEM IMPORTANT FOR THAILAND?

STEM education is particularly important for Thailand, especially as the country enters the newly formed ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). While STEM-related fields throughout the country are projected to see a large increase in the number of skilled workers required over the coming decades, there is currently a growing shortage of such skilled workers. These new STEM-related jobs will be higher-paying and have better prospects for long-term career growth. improving STEM education is critical to increasing the number of students interested in STEM-related subjects who can then become skilled and innovative contributors to Thailand’s economy.

WHAT IS INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING?

Inquiry-based learning educates students by challenging them with questions, problems, or scenarios, rather than just presenting established facts. Such learning requires students to develop their research, critical thinking, and problem solving skills, instead of simply memorizing answers to pre-established questions. inquiry-based learning has been proven as a highly effective teaching method, especially for STEM-related subjects, helping students mature into life-long learners who pursue their curiosities. Through projects such as Chevron iNCREASE, Kenan institute Asia and Chevron have been instrumental in implementing effective and innovative inquiry-based learning concepts throughout Thailand, benefiting thousands of students.

WHAT IS TVET?

TVET stands for Technical and Vocational Education and Training and it is comprised of formal, non-formal, and informal leaning that focuses on providing students with immediately applicable, industry-related knowledge and skills. TVET benefits greatly from private sector involvement, allowing students to participate in highly-relevant internships and mentorships, and preparing them for improved job opportunities.

WHY IS TVET IMPORTANT FOR THAILAND?

TVET is an essential and powerful education method that prepares current students for innovation-driven careers and works to upgrade Thailand’s current workforce skills. TVET benefits students, as well as individuals with limited formal education who are seeking to improve their job opportunities by enhancing their technical knowledge and skills. Additionally, TVET helps to lay the foundation for a strong and skilled workforce that will help drive Thailand’s future innovation and growth.