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.
The latest PISA assessment confirms that Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the only countries in the region to appear in its ranking, are far from the average results obtained by the OECD group of nations.
Although in the last ten years the average expenditure per primary and secondary student increased by about 15% in OECD countries, most of their states do not report significant progress in education.
Because private universities in the South American country have internationalization programs for their educational services, there are opportunities to attract foreign students in specific areas.
The study "Oportunidades de exportación de servicios educativos a Perú", elaborated by Procomer Costa Rica, explains that the areas with greater opportunity for the educational offer of the Costa Rican market are those in which the country is internationally recognized as sustainability as a transversal area to any area of study (architecture, fashion), agribusiness, tourism and peace.
Low educational quality, obsolete teacher hiring processes and lack of universal application of new educational programs are some of the factors that threaten the future of public education in Costa Rica.
"Education is the movement from darkness to light", said American philosopher Allan Bloom. The results of the most recent report prepared by the State of the Nation Program reveal that in terms of public education, Costa Rica seems to be in darkness.
In Costa Rica, "of the 126,000 students graduating with technical qualifications, between 2014 and 2016, the vast majority gained the lowest level qualification."
EDITORIAL
Figures from the most recent report on the State of Education in Costa Rica, continue to show serious deficiencies in the education system, not only at the technical and university level, but, even worse, in Primary school, where basic concepts that will serve as a foundation for secondary and university education are supposed to be consolidated.
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.
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."
Why insist on making students learn French instead of applying the resources invested in teaching this language to other languages that are more in demand by the market such as English, Portuguese, German or Mandarin?
EDITORIAL
The design of school and college curriculums is supposed to be primarily based on the objectives of the political social project being promoted by the government, which should prioritise preparing students for incorporation into the national economy, complemented by cultural elements which should cover the ENTIRE population of the country.
The quality that the school system has today will determine the quality and development that the economy can achieve tomorrow.
Panama's decision to re-join the group of countries which every three years submit their education systems to the PISA test run by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will determine any lags that may exist in the model of education in respect to developed countries, and lay the foundation for analyzing the changes that need to be made to increase the capacity of analysis and understanding of students today, for better socio-economic development in the future.
In Central America, the youth unemployment rate is estimated at over 24%, while in Germany, where the dual education is practiced, youth unemployment is 6%.
EDITORIAL
A visit to Costa Rica by the German Education Minister has put back on the table the concept of dual education, an education method where time is shared between the traditional classroom and work as an apprentice in a trade or professional specialty, in a company.
Dual education is a system which corrects the permanent discrepancy that exists between centralized education and labor supply, reducing youth unemployment and increasing the productivity of economies.
EDITORIAL
The use of professional training is the foundation for the success of Germany's productivity, and has been adopted in most European countries, with particular strength in Austria and Switzerland.