There are appeals to make teaching English obligatory and to encourage cooperation between private enterprises and the government in order to make the country more attractive to the contact center industry, and generate more jobs.
The Government and the private sector aim to create a common initiative to attract more call centers companies, and create 50,000 new jobs for young people, mainly in the next few years ahead, said Elperiodico.com.
By the end of 2011, the call center industry will have created 5,000 new jobs making a total workforce of 27,000 people.
With respect to service exports, the expectations are for more than $ 194 million,
The sector, which continues to experience strong demand, has developed a strategy with targets for 2015, said the coordinator of the Committee on Contact Centers and BPO’s at Agexport, Guisela Flores Guzman.
There is an estimated 30% increase in the sector´s outlook for next year.
The Commission on Contact Center & BPO, of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) noted that recruitment targets are subject to better English language training.
Ninoshka Linde, marketing director for 24 / 7 Customer, stated to Elperiodico.com.gt: "Next [year] we expect to continue growing, but that depends heavily on the bilingual talent available.
The Indian company will hire 600 additional English-speaking customer representatives.
Ninoshka Linde, head of Marketing and Recruitment, remarked that they are visiting high schools to explain the benefits of joining the company.
She told Sigloxxi.com that “our industry has good growth opportunities in Guatemala, and remember that the only element limiting our growth potential is the lack of qualified bilingual personnel”.
24/7 Customer will double its operations during this year, adding 500 people to their current workforce of 900.
As the first phase of their hiring process, the call center will stage a "24 Hour recruiting day" on July 24, where it aims to hire as much people as possible in 24 hours.
"We will be requiring students, women and mothers with job experience in banking, hospitality and other services", published Prensalibre.com, "opportunities also exists for third age citizens and foreigners with good level of English language".
Its Business Process Outsourcing center currently employs 300 people and expects to expand its payroll by 500 employees during 2009.
According to Prensalibre.com, the Center for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) “has two divisions: Data processing and call center installations.
David Poole, chief executive of Capgemini for America pointed out that Guatemala has a high potential for the development of these centers, even in times of crisis, since transnational companies, especially from the US, are trying export services to minimize costs."
The National Collection Office Inc. will begin operations in the country in order to position itself in the Contact Center industry.
To accomplish this, it will invest $20 million and expects to create 500 new jobs.
NCO has 125 operations in 9 countries (the United States, Canada, Mexico, Antigua, Puerto Rico, Panama, Australia, India, Great Britain, and the Philippines) and employ 35 thousand people.
The expansion of Digitex, 24/7 Customer, Transactel, Staffers, Red Ventures, and Genpact is triggering an increase in the demand for bilingual workers and at the same time is causing salaries in the sector to rise.
More personnel with a good level of English are needed.
Mario Marroquin, Director of Invest (an agency in Guatemala), points out that it is necessary to transform the national education curriculum to include English courses.
The Spanish firm Digitex is expanding its offices at an investment of approximately $6 million; this should create some 600 extra jobs at its call center.
Carlos Cabezon, president of Digitex, who recently carried out the inauguration, recollected that the company chose Guatemala because of the availability of qualified personnel, telecommunication infrastructure and a competitive cost structure, as well as the political will to ensure that the sector continues to grow.
Transactel would open a call center in the Province of Quetzaltenango, in the next few months.
Mario López, manager of commercialization of Transactel explained that he has already conducted an exploratory mission, in order to get to know Quetzaltenango and to ascertain the number of qualified workers in the area. He cited the decentralization of services and opportunities for workers in the area as reasons for the call center opening.
The GE Money Bac Credomatic Excellence Center was opened with an $11.6 million investment.
Edmundo Vallejo, GE Money Latin America president, reported that the decision to invest in Guatemala was due to the modern telecommunications infrastructure, a young, educated and bilingual workforce, and its strategic location. However, he pointed out that the country should not rest and instead keep improving its competitiveness.
24/7 Customer, a company from India, has decided to establish a call center near La Aurora Airport, in an area called Ciudad Aeropuerto (Airport City).
The 500 new jobs it generates will be in addition to those created by the Mexican company RY6 Global, which recently started operations in Airport City with a call center of 100 employees and space for 500 more in the coming years.
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