From inside a Mercedes-Benz factory to supporting future nurses and empowering women through vocational training, the Rotary Club of Bangkok’s Vocational Service initiatives continue to connect professional insight with meaningful community impact.
Inside a Mercedes-Benz Factory
On 6th November 2024, the Vocational and Fellowship Committees took a half-day trip to the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Samut Prakan, about thirty minutes from central Bangkok.
The visit was hosted by Mark Berger, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Thailand and President of the Bangkok DACH Club, who walked the group through the production facility personally. The tour covered the active assembly lines and, notably, the newly installed battery assembly line for electric vehicles. For members in industries far from automotive, it was a clear illustration of how vehicle electrification is reshaping assembly and manufacturing.
Members heard from workers about their career paths: how they entered the industry, what progression looked like, and how the company's technical requirements were evolving. They also heard a frank conversation about how Thai government policies and import tariffs affect Mercedes-Benz's investment decisions, the kind of behind-the-scenes perspective that is hard to find elsewhere.
A charity raffle was held with test drives as prizes. Proceeds went to iCare Thailand. The afternoon ended with lunch on site.
Nursing Scholarships
Four students at Kua Karun Nursing College received scholarships in 2024/25: Mr. Pisutpong Vikitpaisarn, Miss Yuwaree Wetwatcharakamjorn, Miss Suriyong Monsin, and Miss Sasithon Thongthab. Each receives THB 25,000 per year for their second, third, and fourth years, renewed on academic performance.
The winners were selected following a proper evaluation process. Candidates submitted written applications covering their studies, family circumstances, commitment to nursing, and the practical difference the scholarship would make. Shortlisted candidates were interviewed by a panel from the Vocational and Youth Service Committees with the Assistant Governor present.
This year's programme follows the successes of previous years. Of the eighteen students we supported in 2021/22, sixteen graduated and are now working in hospitals across Bangkok, including Siriraj Hospital.
Thailand's public healthcare system is chronically short of nurses. Each trained nurse who enters the system matters. The Club's scholarship programme keeps deserving, capable people in education long enough to enter the workforce.
Vocational Training in Thonburi Women's Prison
In December 2023, a team of five Club members attended the opening ceremony of a project at Thonburi Women's Correctional Institution, a vocational training programme teaching inmates to build concrete block walls.
These types of programme benefit both the individuals and society. Research consistently shows that inmates with a marketable skill before release are more likely to find employment and less likely to reoffend.
We funded the THB 70,000 project under Rotary's Economic and Community Development focus area. During the ceremony, members toured the Institution's other vocational facilities: artificial flowers, handbags, sweets, handcrafts, massage training, fabric printing, and now construction.
Vocational Visits: Learning From Others
In 2023/24, Club members toured the Aspen Tree at The Forestias, a senior living and lifetime care community in Bangkok. The visit explored the business model, but also the bigger question it raises: how will Thai society care for an ageing population? Sustainable healthcare, technology's role, and what a knowledge hub for adult wellbeing actually looks like.
These visits are not charity. They are professional development, exposure to industries and organisations that members would not otherwise encounter, and that occasionally generate service opportunities or partnerships.
Ethical Business
Underlying all of this is a question Rotary has been asking since 1905: how should professionals conduct themselves?
The Club's Four-Way Test asks: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill? Will it be beneficial to all? It is a practical framework for organisations striving for positive impact. During January's Vocational Service Month, members discussed how they actually apply ethical standards in their own work.
The Vocational Service Committee runs activities throughout the year: company visits, scholarship programmes, and professional development. Members with vocational service ideas are welcome to bring them to the committee.