On May 16, 2025, the Faculty of Technical Education at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) welcomed a delegation from the DON BOSCO TECH ASEAN group. The delegation was received by Asst. Prof. Dr. Panarit Sethakun, Advisor to the Dean; Asst. Prof. Dr. Krich Sinthanakul, Associate Dean for Academic and Professional Standards; and Asst. Prof. Dr. Tongchanat Thongthip, Associate Dean for Research and Academic Services.
The visiting delegation included representatives from Timor-Leste, one of eight ASEAN countries participating in the DON BOSCO TECH ASEAN network—namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. The visit aimed to study Thailand’s vocational education management system, with a specific focus on KMUTNB’s Faculty of Technical Education, which is rooted in the German vocational education model.
The faculty is well recognized for its implementation of the German Dual Education System, including AdA (Train the Trainer) and Meister programs, which serve as benchmarks in vocational training and professional development.
This visit provided an excellent opportunity for cross-national exchange of experiences, knowledge, and best practices in vocational education, aiming to strengthen the quality of vocational education across ASEAN. In Timor-Leste alone, there are currently 24 Don Bosco colleges, and there is potential for future collaboration in training and development of faculty and staff, especially in terms of technical knowledge, practical skills, and instructional methodologies aligned with the curriculum of KMUTNB’s Faculty of Technical Education.
During the visit, the delegation toured several facilities, including:
- The Chemical Composition Testing Laboratory (certified under ISO 17025),
- The Welding Laboratory (certified to ISO 9606 standards) at the Thai-French Innovation Institute,
- And the Electrical Engineering and Alternative Energy Research Laboratory – a Common Research Lab operated under the Dual/Double Degree Program between the Department of Electrical Technology Education, KMUTNB, and the GREEN Lab, University of Lorraine, France.