In the last year, Costa Rica significantly improved its level of English language proficiency, while the rest of Central America made no significant progress.
The global English language company Education First published its 2018 report, which defines five levels of language proficiency in 88 countries around the world by calculating an index called "English Proficiency Index".
According to Education First's English Proficiency Index, Costa Rica and El Salvador have not been able to raise their level of proficiency in the last five years, while Panama and Guatemala, which in 2014 and 2015 did improve their performance, fell in 2016 to the "Very low" level.
The index published each year by Global Education First defines three levels of language proficiency in 72 countries around the world.In the world rankings, Costa Rica,Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador ranked 38, 53, 50 and 63, respectively.
According to the English Proficiency Index produced by Education First, Guatemala and Panama have improved, moving from the "very low" group to the "low" group, while Costa Rica and El Salvador remain stagnant at that level.
The index, which the global English teaching business Education First publishes annually, defines three levels of proficiency in 70 countries worldwide.
During 2014 the industry for business process outsourcing generated sales of $397 million, an increase of 15% compared to 2013.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalan Exporters Association (-AGEXPORT-):
Entrepreneurs in the IT & BPO sector at AGEXPORT, made up of enterprises working in Software Development, Development and Digital Content, Contact Centers and BPO's, announced that at the close of 2014 there was growth of 15%, positioning Guatemala as emerging market in the industry of outsourcing services.
The Panama Maritime Authority has authorized that from now on recording of original ship mortgages will be done in English, without the need to submit translations into Spanish.
From a statement issued by the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP):
The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) has hit a new milestone for the Panamanian Merchant Marine, having registered the first ship mortgage in the English language.
According to Education First's English Proficiency Index, in Costa Rica the English level is low, while in Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador it is very low.
Out of the 63 countries surveyed in the English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), Costa Rica ranks 43, Guatemala is No. 51, followed by Panama in position 52 and El Salvador in 53.
On February 13, representatives from the education and business sector will meet to discuss challenges and achievements in teaching English.
From a press release issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama:
For the first time, representatives from the Panamanian education and business sectors will gather together to discuss challenges and achievements in the field of teaching English at the First National Bilingualism Forum entitled "Building Competitiveness".
A poor level of English is still one of Latin America's most significant competitive weaknesses, especially in the countries of Central America.
Of the 60 countries evaluated in the English Proficiency Index developed by EF Educatio First (EF EPI), Costa Rica ranks in 37th place, Guatemala at number 52, followed by El Salvador at 53 and Panama at 56.
It is increasingly common for companies to look for accountants, managers, engineers, architects and technicians who are bilingual.
Although more and more companies are looking for bilingual staff, language schools believe that the demand for courses is still too low to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and investment entering the country.
Even so , " Nicaraguans have recently realized the importance of English, it is the language of business worldwide, it is the language of the internet, documents , and they now feel that it is becoming a priority," said Franklin Tellez, academic director of the Nicaraguan American Cultural Center (CCNN) .
The demand for professionals who can speak and write English rose by 70%, keeping pace with the growth of joint ventures with overseas companies.
That was the explanation given Bessy Rocio Lara, director of the Department of Labor. Among the areas where the most bilingual staff are needed are the industrial engineering sector, business administration and some technical careers.
The difficulty in finding English speakers is the main bottleneck to Nicaragua's tourism industry.
In 2012, Nicaragua received 241,000 visitors from the U.S., 77,000 from Europe and 30,710 from Canada, representing 30% of the total of the 1.18 million tourists who came into the country.
This segment, very valuable because of its purchasing power, is becoming increasingly difficult for local operators to cater to, due to a shortage of bilingual staff.
The Agency for Promotion of Exports and Investments is inviting bids for a classroom training program in English in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador for at least 650 people.
The Program for Training of Human Resources in English aims to:
Facilitate the establishment of new businesses or the expansion of existing ones by implementing a program of English language training to complement and enhance the skills of the candidates thus satisfying the demand of enterprises.
Part of one of the business units of Hewlett-Packard in Costa Rica will move to India, and attempts are being made to relocate the 400 workers who are occupationally affected.
Alluding to a restructuring of a business unit dedicated to customer service calls in English, Maria Luisa Gonzalez, human resources manager of HP confirmed to Nacion.com that "The company ... will move part of its 20 business units to other nations, mainly India ".
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