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.
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.
In Costa Rica the 14% increase in funds for state universities has generated discussion even within the sector, over which stages of education produces better results from investment in terms of economic performance and social justice.
EDITORIAL
The analyst Francisco Villalobos in his article on Crhoy.com reports on the data regarding investments made by middle class families in the education of their children, noting that "the budget increase demanded by universities should be directed towards primary and secondary education therefore the state can support families when they most need support. "
Adpoting the PISA tests as a basic tool for the management of education systems is essential if you want to push back the boundaries of underdevelopment.
EDITORIAL
It is not uncommon to hear from officials in Latin American educational corporations that the PISA assessment system is "unfair" because it compares results with those obtained in advanced countries.
More jobs and less poverty is the refrain of Central American politicians, while they say little or nothing about education, without which there are no jobs nor wealth generation.
EDITORIAL
Even in Costa Rica, where its educational system during the past century allowed the country to reach higher development levels than its neighbors, education is not a priority issue in the election campaign which is in full swing, despite the fact that the Costa Rican public education system is visibly losing more and more students as parents are increasingly opting for private schools and colleges in order to try to secure a decent future for their children.
In 2012, CADE will analyze the synergy between education and economy, because in order to have sustained economic growth it is necessary to have quality education and an emphasis on labor market requirements.
CADE is a conclave or annual summit meeting of executives and entrepreneurs in general, from across the country which brings together all members of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE), with active participation of all Chapters and whose main purpose is to discuss, analyze and seek solutions to national problems.
Business schools in the United States developed the Engineering Management Master (MEM), a program which combines training in business engineering.
Cornell, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Duke and Stanford, five prestigious U.S. universities, are the promoters of this new master, explained Jeffrey Glass, program director at Duke: "The key is that we insert engineers in the business world.