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Published on December 1, 2007

Under the cooperation agreement, Pongsawadi has invested Bt100 million in the new building and facilities, including 35 to 40 Apple computers, designed to comply with the launch of its new multimedia curriculum, scheduled in June next year.

The move is in line with the vocational school's strategy to produce students that meet the market's requirements and the change of media technology to multimedia.

Located on Piboonsongkram Road in Nonthaburi province, Pongsawadi Commercial School has 1,830 vocational students in key educational fields such as marketing, accounting, management and business computing.

Apple Thailand will provide the training programme and certify all seven instructors of the multimedia curriculum. The company is fully committed to recruiting all students graduating from the Pongsawadi multimedia course and those who pass an examination certified by Apple's standards. They will earn as much as Bt50,000 a month.

Woraluk Chaidacha, director of Pongsawadi Commercial School, said the new multimedia course would be launched in June. It expects to produce about 100 graduates in the multimedia field each year.

"The multimedia curriculum will take about three years of study for vocational students and two years for upper vocational students. The multimedia course will cost no more than Bt30,000 per semester. Students will be recruited from secondary schools. Each semester will take about four to five months," said Woraluk.

Woraluk said the curriculum would cater to the shortage of multimedia operators in the market place. People are needed who have good multimedia skills and are able to work immediately in media companies - both television stations and publishing houses - particularly for editing and other graphical work using Apple's Final Cut editing application.

"We see average salaries for multimedia graduates students will be two to three times higher than vocational students graduating in the general curriculum, such as accounting, marketing, management and business computing, who start their working career at salaries of between Bt8,000 and Bt10,000 a month on average," she added.

She said Hattapong Charuchinda, a son of Nichapat Charuchinda - who founded Pongsawadi Commercial School in 1972 - opened his own company, PSC Light & Sound, 15 years ago specialising in organising light and sound at concerts and big entertainment events.

"Khun Hattapong has recognised the importance of multimedia computers used in image editing and graphical work to create the perfect outcome for entertainment work, particularly in the TV and printed media industries," said Woraluk.

"However, there is a big shortage of multimedia operators in the market. University bachelor's graduates in communication arts from will have to take at least three months to be trained by their recruiting firms to be able to work with Apple computers," she said.

Woraluk added that the school wanted to produce qualified graduates who are able to work immediately in any multimedia job after they have been recruited by media houses. They should have good multimedia skills and be able to use an Apple computer as the tool for their editing and graphical work.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

 The Nation