Singapore, 17 April 2003

Sawasdee, Informatics in the Land of Smiles!

Thailand’s human resources training market will grow in the next three to five years despite uncertain economic conditions. Rising demand for semi-skilled and skilled workers and high standards for international competition have increased the need for skills training and human resource development. Human resource training has been incorporated into the staff development plans for most government agencies and businesses in Thailand. Thailand has a growing population of 64 million and a generally untapped training and education market.

Informatics Holdings Ltd (Informatics) has entered an agreement with Thai Union Aqua Products (Thailand) Co Ltd and Empire Essential Trading Company Ltd for an Informatics Professional Development Centre (IPDC) franchise in Thailand.

Thai Union Products (Thailand) Co Ltd (TUP) was founded in 1984, as manufacturer and distributor of wastewater treatment systems, aeration equipment and other related aquaculture equipment in Thailand. TUP has grown to become an international provider and manufacturer of Wastewater Treatment Equipment with agents internationally.

Whilst TUP is an international provider water treatment equipment, Empire Essential Trading Co Ltd (Empire) is an importer and exporter of seafood. The company has offices in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. Empire supplies seafood for consumption throughout Asia, Europe and America and has an excellent reputation for quality product with its customers and distributors.
“Following this trend of trained workers, many employers are concern as to how they can determine the quality and skills of these IT professionals,” explained Mr Max Saksrituniaya, Managing Director of Empire. “The demand for IT professionals to have their skills validated by an independent and reputable institution that’s recognized by the industry and the academic world become almost mandatory. IPDC is the leader in providing quality corporate training and development services. It is also the only Institution in Asia-Pacific to offer multi-vendor skills training certification courses, business as well as language skills training programs.”

Top

“The challenge of IPDC in Thailand is to use the "best of the best" to empower employees and employers to think and create. Recently, the Department of Skill Development (DSD) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Development in Thailand has taken an active role to promote computer competency training and other skill development training businesses,” said Mr Saksrituniaya. “It has urged training and education providers to educate the workers to update and upgrade their skills to meet the demand for skilled manpower in high-value added growth industry's like electronics, communications and information technology.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr Lim Wee Kee, Senior Vice President for Franchise Development & Sales at Informatics said, “We see the market for human resource training and development as a growing industry in Thailand and the demand for skilled manpower is poised for rapid acceleration. Our target market encompasses not only systems engineers but also graduates and other non-graduates looking to upgrade their IT skills. IT training is definitely a growing market and we plan to ride this wave of growth together with TUP and Empire. We have the expertise and our partners in Thailand has the local knowledge.”

"The first IPDC will be located in Bangkok’s financial and business hub,” said Mr Saksrituniaya. “We expect the business to grow tremendously within the next two years as more and more people are upgrading their IT skills."

“IPDC is well poised to provide advanced training for professionals in the forefront of technology. We will strive to equip the workforce with the best tools and knowledge to communicate in the Internet era," added Mr Saksrituniaya

Top

By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective online training solution. Over 700 online courses are available, offering PhDs, masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programs. Its e-community now stands at over 67,000 users.

PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Please visit http://www.purpletrain.com for more details.

For more information on Informatics Group, please contact:
Lim Wee Kee
Senior Vice President – Franchise Development & Sales Unit
Email: wklim@informaticsgroup.com
Or
Adlina Chew
Manager, Marketing & Public Relations
Email: adlinachew@informaticsgroup.com