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.
There is still a shortage of workers with the skills and technical training needed to work in several sectors, ranging from agriculture to telecommunications.
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.
The Automotive Mechanics course has been selected to be part of the first pilot plan to implement a dual education system in 2017, in four technical schools in the country.
The Vocational College of Arts and Crafts (Covão) in Cartago as well as the Technical Professional Colleges (CTP in Spanish) Monsignor Sanabria, in Desamparados, Carlos Manuel Vicente in Golfito, and Jesus Ocaña in Alajuela, are the institutions which will be implementing the pilot dual education plan in 2017.
Lack of technically skilled labour is forcing some companies to bear the cost of training their employees.
Food technology and industrial electronics courses haven arisen precisely in response to the needs of the private sector, which increasingly needs employees with technical training.This was explained to Elnuevodiario.com.ni by Berta Mayela Quintanilla, "...
Nicaraguan companies are having difficulty finding employees who are 24 years old or younger with the required socio-emotional and academic skills.
From the executive summary of a document entitled "Skills required by companies in Nicaragua" prepared by Funides:
Studies have been done at the international level that have found no relationship between years of education and economic growth, which has led to the discussion turning from schooling to the quality of education as a key element for economic growth.
In Panama four out of ten companies failed to find the ideal candidates when they needed them.
Data from Manpower reveals that worldwide the talent shortage is around 40%, in Colombia it is 50% and in Panama 36%.Monica Flores, president of the group for the region, said that"...
Seven out of ten entrepreneurs in Costa Rica would be willing to implement training programs for young people in the academic-work placement format.
A statement from the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of Private Enterprises (UCCAEP) notes that"...72% of employers would be interested in launching training programs under the dual mode and 83% said they already have accepted into their businesses students or trainees for internships or professional work experience."
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.
The communication and technology sector predicts that for the next two years it will hire more technical staff and university graduates than licensed professionals with master's degrees or doctorates.
The need for staff with technical rather than academic skills continues to grow in the field of technology and communications. A study by the Chamber of Information Technology and Communication concludes that only 2% of companies in the technology sector in the country plan to hire professionals with a PhD, while only 32% said they expected to hire graduates.
With the training of 8000 construction workers the guild seeks to improve the quality of the workforce and prepare to meet the demand from projects announced by the government and private industry.
The worker training sessions will be conducted jointly by the Nicaraguan Chamber of Construction (NCC) and the Technological Institute (Inatec), and will begin with the training of 8000 workers over a period of 4 months.
There has been a rise in the number of firms reporting difficulties in recruiting qualified staff, especially technicians, engineers and sales managers.
In one year the number of companies who said they found it difficult to fill vacancies grew by 11%, according to figures from a survey carried out by the human resources firm Manpower, which states that "...
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.
Panamanians are not interested in technical careers but rather social ones, as reflected by the short supply of professionals to meet the needs of the industry.
This issue was discussed during the forum 'maritime sector and the impact of human resources in its development ", organized by the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP by its initials in Spanish).
Since its creation in 2006, the INADEH has capacitated 439,878 people in a variety of disciplines.
The National Institute of Professional Formation and Education for Human Development (INADEH acronym in Spanish) began in 2006 as a new iteration of its predecessor, the National Institute for Professional Education. Just months before the referendum on the expansion of the Panama Canal, an increase in demand for qualified personnel became apparent.
Recognized Brazilian company of backhoe loaders, telescopic, articulated and other types of cranes looking for companies interested in representing the brand and distributing their machinery in Central America and Mexico. The company manufactures and sells telescopic,...