KKU signed an MOU for founding the KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute with SWJTU, People’s Republic of China for offering the High Speed Train Engineering Program that aims to prepare quality graduates for the high-speed train engineering job market.
Friday July 7, 2023 – Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University and the Southwest Jiaotong University, People’s Republic of China, held an MoA signing ceremony for establishing the KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute. The institute opening ceremony followed the signing ceremony, which was held at the Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University.
The MoA signing and the KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute officially opening ceremony was honored to have the following distinguished people joining: Khon Kaen Vice Governor; Ms. Yang Ning, Acting Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to Khon Kaen Province, Thailand; Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University; Prof. Yao Faming, Vice President of Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), the People’s Republic of China; executives of Tianyou Railway Institute and of China Railways International Thailand; Khon Kaen Provincial Industrial Head Officer; Vice Chairman of Khon Kaen Industry Council; and administrators of Khon Kaen University.
Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University said that he felt honored for Khon Kaen University to carry out academic and research collaboration with Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in the High Speed Train system. This collaboration will respond to the KKU’s strategy in regional transportation.
Thailand is the center of Indochina Region where connections can be easily made to different countries in ASEAN and in the People’s Republic of China. High Speed Train is also a major key for upgrading the economy according to the Thailand 4.0 policy of the Thai Government.
“Khon Kaen University is aware of the importance of our missions and deployment of the national major strategy regarding high speed train. Thus, we have set the developmental plan in the instructional program for preparing graduates in high speed train engineering with the Southwest Jiaotong University, which is under the name “High Speed Train Engineering”. The program will respond to the economic and industrial expansion. The KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute is also founded at the Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, to provide training, knowledge and transfer of technology related to high speed train.”
Prof. Yao Faming, Vice President of Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), the People’s Republic of China added that the system of Thai-China railway lines is another important project of the “one belt one road” policy. It will link countries in Indochina, especially Thailand and China, as it will be the major route. The progress of the one belt one road policy has brought Thailand and China more chances for deployment and development of rail transportation.
The Southwest Jiaotong University, as the first university with expertise in engineering and among the first universities for rail transportation, has carried out work on engineering for 127 years, launching over 300,000 capable people to the society and more than 60 academicians to work overseas as well as 31 survey and design engineering experts. The University has thus stepped from the first in China to the first of the world in this regard. The Chinese high speed train is the prototype of innovation that has succeeded in a leaping style in the Chinese transportation industry.
“The founding of KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute under the collaboration between Khon Kaen University and the Southwest Jiaotong University will certainly bring benefits to both parties by using the outstanding points of each to combine and hence a new paradigm of an instructional program between Thailand and China.”
Assoc. Prof. Ratchapon Santiwarakorn, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering said that Khon Kaen University has signed agreement with the Southwest Jiaotong University since 2021 for developing the High Speed Train Engineering program that will answer the economy, industrial development and the growth of communities and people in the area. Thus, graduates with knowledge and competency must be prepared for the future job market according to the Thailand 4.0 policy of Thai Government. The Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, has the human resources, experts, and has good relationship and collaboration with the Southwest Jiaotong University, which is a leading university in high speed train system. The two institutions have been exchanging staff, carried out mutual visits and met to discuss the joint program, and have received support from the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Khon Kaen Thailand, and other governmental and private organizations. This will enable the Faculty of Engineering to prepare quality graduates in high speed engineering in the digital era that will be accepted by employers in the job market and will have a high chance to be employed. This also corresponds to Khon Kaen University’s vision in preparing Future Global Citizens.
Ms. Yang Ning, Acting Consul General of the People’s Republic of China to Khon Kaen Province, Thailand revealed that she was honored to be able to witness the official opening of the Tianyou Railway Institute in a foreign country for the first time. This year is the 10th year of the initiation of the new silk route of the 21st Century.
The opening of Tianyou Railway Institute is a good chance for creating innovation together and promoting life long learning and educational chances for learners in Thailand and Asia to sharpen their competency. The outcome will be experts in high speed train that makes China and Thailand the same family and thus leads to stronger relationship between the two.
The MoA signing and the official opening of the KKU-SWJTU Tianyou Railway Institute and the High Speed Train program is under an important agreement to promote joint research, exchanges of staff and students, visits, and training in railroad system. The results will be new bodies of knowledge, high and advanced technology transfer and quality graduates who will work in the high speed train occupation within 5 years (2023-2031).
Pithiwat Angsuwiriya, a mechanical engineering student who joins the project, said that it is a good chance for Khon Kaen University to have new study programs. He is interested in high speed train and therefore has applied to join the project. He will be able to go to China to study about the rail system and the train system. It is a good chance for him to accumulate experiences for his future occupation.
News / Photos: Phanit Khatanak
[Thai]
