Promoting creative career course.
Supporting agriculture community for sustainable growth.
Central Group continues the Central Tham Project, aiming to create jobs, careers, building communities and making a better quality of life for Thais throughout all regions. We are pinpointing to develop community and education in Udon Thani province with 3 main projects.
1. Partnership School Project in Northeastern region. Curriculum development of both Ban Nong Na Kham School and Udon Thani Vocational College connects the high school education with the vocational training skills that aim to produce good quality and good moral people into the labor market. 2.Jing Jai Farmers’ Market Project. The market where communities can meet and sell their organic agricultural products. 3.Community Enterprise Project: Ban Nadi Vegetable Growers Group, Nadi Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani Province. This project is to extend the idea of the strong community, responsibility, quality of life and sustainable well-being.
Pichai Chirathivat, Executive Director of Central Group said that Udon Thani province is considered a large hub for transportation and tourism in the northeastern of Thailand. There is the potential to be developed into another educational model and community economics province. This makes Central Group foresee the opportunity to bring expertise in the retail business along with the commitment to help society under the Central Tham Project to develop further education, product promotion, marketing channels of the community and to conserve the local art, culture and wisdom with 3 pilot projects.
1. Partnership School Project
Central Group together with the Ministry of Education have signed a memorandum of agreement to develop the educational institutions and raise Thai educational level to the global standards and also answer both local and international labor markets, with total of 7 educational institutions under the development of Central Group, consisting of 4 schools, 3 colleges.
In the South: Ban Khuan Sawan School and Trang Technical College in Trang Province.
Central Region: Wat Nong Noat Community School and Saraburi Vocational College in Saraburi Province.
In the North-East, Ban Nong Na Kham School, Udon Thani Vocational College in Udon Thani Province and Sakae Rat Wittayakom School, Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
Central Group will develop these schools together with the Ministry of Education for 5 years.
For Udonthani Vocational College, Mak Khaeng Subdistrict, Muang District, Udon Thani Province, is considered a prototype vocational school with Vocational Certificate and Diploma/High Vocational Certificate which Central Group has jointly developed the curriculum to connect the internships and work with Central Group. We are ready to build up good and talented people into the labor market. After the curriculum revision in mid-2018, the number of students enrolled have increased by 100% in 2019, with the Central Group aiming to develop all 5 courses. 3 courses have been successfully done and 2 courses will be added in the future including retail business management course and food and nutrition course.
Currently, 3 courses that the Central Group has successfully developed include
• Logistics Management Course
Central Group has jointly developed the curriculum by sending an executive representative with expertise in logistics to share knowledge and experience until the course can be approved by the vocational committee with the opportunity for students to train at the Central Group warehouse in Bangna and to learn about logistics management in China for 1 year. Now those students have come back and become trainees in Central Group Business such as Tops, Office Mate and Central Omni Logistics. Form May 2019 to April 2020, these students will be the first group of this program that has been trained with the Central Group.
• Hotel / Tourism courses
Central group has sent personnel from Centara Udon Hotel to share knowledge and hotel experiences as well as accepting students to train at the hotel continuously and has planned to simulate a virtual hotel room in a college allowing students to practice and learn in real work environment as well.
• Fashion and textile design technology course
Central Group sees the value of the experiences and the wisdom of textiles which the college has accumulated for more than 80 years. So there is a plan to support the college to share knowledge with Ban Nong Na Kham School and the community of ancient hand-woven textile, Ban Non Kok to add value to the product with the modern design to attract the consumers. In addition, the Central Group also supports scholarships to colleges.
For Ban Nong Na Kham School, Central Group focuses on creating a career for students with the project "1-person, 1 occupation" to promote weaving skills by receiving the cooperation from the Ban Non Kok Hand Weaving Community. Central Group also gave 6 loops for students to practice ancient weaving so they can generate income for themselves and their families. Central Group also supports paint products for road surface to train traffic discipline to students. Ban Nong Na Kham School is an outstanding and well-known school in traffic discipline for all level student from kindergarten to secondary school.
2. Jing Jai Farmers’ Market Project Udon Thani Province
This market is a distribution channel for agricultural products in the community. It allows farmers to meet buyers directly, focusing on safe, non-toxic and organic fruits and vegetables from farmers and communities of more than 315 items circulating according to seasons such as local vegetables, mangoes and dates. This is a reliable market with staff to regularly inspect toxins which can ensure consumers of the safe, fresh, clean and affordable products. Farmers' Market Project, Udon Thani Province has been opened for more than 7 months. There are 350 farmers from 54 sub-districts, with 1,050 members. The total sales of the market are over 22 million baht and generate more income for participated farmers, more than 317% from the original at 13,500 baht, increased up to 42,850 baht per month.
In addition, with awareness of environmental issues especially the problem of waste plastic bags, the project has stopped handling out plastic bags to the customers and using containers from natural materials instead of plastic bags. Fruit and vegetable products will be put in paper bags. And there is a campaign for customers to bring their own cloth bags as well.
3. Community Enterprise Project: Ban Nadi Vegetable Growers Group, Nadi Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udon Thani Province
Central Group supports a budget of more than 400,000 baht to renovate the old buildings of the Royal Irrigation Department into vegetable packing building and purchase equipment for washing, decorating and packing vegetables. Tops Supermarket team has also come to give advice to the community about how to choose and beautifully packed by using of local materials that can be easily found within the community. The product of the group are more than 20 kinds of safe, seasonal vegetables such as winter melon, pumpkin, angled luffa, snake gourd, sponge gourd. In the future, the products will be increased, such as asparagus, Cowslip creeper, Thai morning glory and various vegetable processing to make snacks such as eggplant and okra. At present, the amount of the community enterprise production, Ban Na Dee Subdistrict, is about 2-3 tons per month and will be distributed to Udon Hospital and Prachak Camp Hospital, Jingjai Udon Market and Rom keiw Market. Tops Supermarkets also purchase the products to help creating jobs and stable income for farmers and communities.
Central Group believes that Education is an important foundation for community and nation development. Therefore, in addition to the joint school development project, we also have many educational projects, such as the Central Tham-Pracharat Project, Central Tham Project, Chirathivat Uppatham Project and the Centrality Project, which we have developed schools by improving building, teacher training, career building for students, etc. More than 156 schools nationwide have been completed, Central Group is still continuing to focus on the value of identity and local wisdom. We are ready to support and creatively develop to allow the community to grow with potential, encourage all families to be strong and live sustainably.
