There is still a shortage of workers with the skills and technical training needed to work in several sectors, ranging from agriculture to telecommunications.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Workers with skills to not only operate but also repair specialized farm machinery, and even to train people in the operation of specialized software are what companies have been unable to find in different sectors in Nicaragua.Despite efforts, some even made byvarious private companies, to fund studies and train their employeesso that they can acquire the necessary skills, there remains a significant gap between labor supply and demand in the country.
At the academic level, there is a need to review the supply [of courses] in order to improve them and adapt them to the needs of the companies and sectors most in demand, such as agriculture, industry and agribusiness.
Among the sectors with the highest demand for technical personnel are the construction sector, industry and agribusiness.Juan Carlos Amador, coordinator of the Renet and CEO of the Chamber of Industry of Nicaragua(Cadin), told Elnuevodiario.com.ni that"...'In the industrial sector, for example specialized welders are needed in various types of industry'.
José Adán Aguerri, president of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) explained that in the automotive sector,"... another phenomenon in qualifying workers is that companies who are importing vehicles send one or two mechanics to be trained and then when they return, another company manages to hire them,'they are left with a situation where they do not have enough mechanics to be able to respond to the greater number of vehicles they have'."
It is estimated that between 2015 and 2020, Panama will need to hire around 68,000 employees with technical specialties, and the logistics sector will be the leader in the demand.
According to a labor market study carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), estimates for from demand companiesfor technical personnel is high, with the logistics, industry, tourism, agriculture and construction sectors being those that most need staff with these capabilities.
The private sector claims that it is not enough to invest $10 million in the construction of a technical school if the academic programs are not developed considering the staffing needs of the productive sectors.
The problem of a shortage of technically skilled labor in Panamanian companies will not be resolved if educational programs do not take as a starting point the demands of the productive sector.
A lack of specialized technical personnel in manufacturing is raising business costs and reducing productivity.
The lack of staff qualified to repair machinery is not only raising costs but is also creating additional delays, causing a decrease in customers and jeopardizing business continuity. It is estimated that the poor repair of machines makes operating costs of enterprises up to 20% more expensive.
With assistance from the U.S. businesspeople are working on an educational proposal based on responding to the specific needs of each community.
An article in Elnuevodiario.com reports that "Ensuring skilled labour for new investment projects to be implemented in Nicaragua is part of the educational objectives of the so called "Community College" format, which a U.S.
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