Determining which professional disciplines people prefer to study and identifying whether they are interested in diplomas, certifications, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees or long term courses, are goals that can be achieved through the application of innovative methodologies based on the analysis of large volumes of data.
Although the process of migration to online education had already been progressing for several years, in recent months and as a result of changes in people's habits, the demand for distance training services has grown exponentially and, as a result, Internet searches for study programs have also increased.
So far this year, interest in distance education services in Central American markets has clearly increased, with Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras being the countries that have registered the greatest increases in interactions associated with the topic.
Through a system monitoring changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries in real time, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Shorter university degrees that focus on technical areas and the new requirements of the productive sector are some of the changes that will be part of the new reality of the education business.
In this context of radical changes caused by the covid-19 crisis, new labor trends will require the development of competencies, such as entrepreneurship, agility, adaptability and service mentality, digital skills, food, telecommuting and home-based businesses, health and hygiene, e-commerce, new distribution and logistics models, information technology and robotics.
The health and economic crisis has forced private schools and universities in Central American countries to cut back on staff, invest in platforms for virtual classes, offer payment facilities and increase their presence in the digital environment.
Because of the spread of covid-19, in most countries in the region, face-to-face classes at all educational levels have been suspended since mid-March 2020.
In Central America, more than 17 million people are looking to purchase educational services online, and 9% of these consumers are exploring options to purchase language courses.
The interactive information system developed by CentralAmericaData, monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the new commercial environment that has emerged in an accelerated manner.
Central Americans and other Latin Americans are feeling more concerned about what Trump can say or do, than over the only thing that can really change the fate of poverty in the region, which is education.
EDITORIAL
The recently published results of the PISA tests confirm that in the best case, these countries maintain positions midway down the table of global results, and in the worst case have fallen in the objective measurement of quality of the most important resource for economic and social development, people and their cognitive abilities.
Supply in the academic sector has grown considerably and it is necessary to discern among what is serious, commercial and even the mere sale of diplomas.
The analysis by Oscar Picardo Joao, published in La Prensa Gráfica, begins by noting that "there is currently a deep concern about the quality, validity and legitimacy of international academic programs and degrees.