DEVELOPING FUTURE WORKFORCES IN HISTORIC URBAN CONTEXT: A CASE STUDY OF CHAREONKRUNG CREATIVE DISTRICT IN HISTORIC AREA OF BANGKOK

This paper is a critical examination of the compatibility of workforce development policy and the implementations in context.  Recently, Chareonkrung Creative District was designated as an impetus to Thailand 4.0 policy.  Key agent is ‘Thailand Creative and Design Center’ (TCDC), with missions to support current and start-ups businesses to migrate to creative-digital-economy.  TCDC-Chareonkrung headquarter is at a renovated building of ‘Central Post Office’ in Bangrak district, inner area of Bangkok.  The area is of historical characteristics, derived from Chareonkrung Road which is the first automotive road in Thailand, run along on the eastside and Chaophaya river on the west.  Historic features have been harvested to empower new businesses in Bangkok, in turn, the area would hopefully be rehabilitated and regenerated to its former prosperity.         

TCDC policy is opened to all and all are needed to socioeconomic transformation.  However, to focus mainly on “creative class” (Florida., R. 2002), it resulted in some sociocultural drawback.  Firstly, mixed socio-economic classes of the workforces would be the key to the success, however, most local ‘operative class’ did not know what is TCDC.  Thailand and Bangkok economy were largely based on low-skill workforces (National Statistical Office of Thailand, 2018).  To transform current businesses, it requires re-training of local workforces.  But educational agencies seemed to provide only obsolete curricular.  Secondly, historic urban fabrics were conserved to give characteristics to ‘creative district’, however, local intangible heritage, as a resource of creativity, seemed to be forgotten.  Gentrification may mitigate decline of Chareonkrung area but also would eliminate its historical roots, upon which people have been living and working for almost a century.  Thirdly, our survey show that the locals perceived TCDC’s modernized learning space as too formal and not as much friendly and familiar as expected.  In reality, a balance proportion of Creative and Operative Classes is in urgent need.  Workforce education would make stronger impacts, if learning program is expanded to ‘operative class’ and if learning environment has a touch of local context atmosphere.