Only 25% of graduates from Costa Rica 's National Institute of Learning managed to obtain a job in the specialty in which they supposedly were trained.
Two articles in Nacion.com warn of the very serious situation that is affecting not only young people who are wasting their time studying what will not help them get a job, but also that demand from companies for trained personnel is not being satisfied either, diminishing the competitiveness of the Costa Rican economy, and bringing down the aforementioned superiority of the country's human capital over the rest of the region.
Lack of technically skilled labour is forcing some companies to bear the cost of training their employees.
Food technology and industrial electronics courses haven arisen precisely in response to the needs of the private sector, which increasingly needs employees with technical training.This was explained to Elnuevodiario.com.ni by Berta Mayela Quintanilla, "...
A trust has been approved which will start off with $1.2 million to fund training plans and provide work training for free zone companies.
The funds for the Trust come from the Ministry of Foreign Trade's budget, and "... companies that receive the incentive must also provide part of the funding for the program that they request, according to the ministry."
More workers who speak a second language are needed in order to continue growing in terms of attracting investment.
The arrival of international companies engaged in outsourcing services shows an upward trend in Nicaragua, but the main obstacle to greater growth is the lack of potential employees who speak and write two languages.
Behind a veneer of luxury websites of supposed online universities, lucrative networks sell certifications that contain endorsements from even the US State Department.
An article published by The New York Times reports on investigations carried out on the subject, apparently leading to a Pakistan-based organization which is dedicated to running a multi-million dollar business offering tailor made university diplomas, as well as renewal of knowledge and experience - real or not, by enrolling its customers in fictitious courses.
Starting April chambers of commerce in the region will be providing free training on phytosanitary controls, management at border posts and customs procedures for exporting firms.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica:
As of April, the Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica will be running a training program on trade facilitation for the public and private sector, within the framework of a cooperation agreement signed between the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (FECAMCO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the USAID Regional Project on Trade and Market Partnerships.
Between November 17th and 21st the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be holding seminars on innovation in developing food products for export companies.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI):
Focused on the vision of the Minister of Trade and Industry, Meliton Arrocha of making 'our exports and our negotiations speak the same language', the National Export Department is organizing the Specialist Innovation Seminar and Development of Novel Foods, Expanding Supply with More Competitive Products.
The government has announced that it expects to invest $400 million in the construction of six technical training centers in areas related to ports, logistics, agriculture, tourism and engineering.
The dynamics of business in Panama in sectors such as logistics and customer service, have increased the demand for qualified personnel for these functions.
The government and the private sector are preparing a plan to provide technical training to one thousand Panamanians per year in areas such as logistics, trading, freight and customer service.
An assessment made by the Ministry of Labor and Development of the Workforce in conjunction with 20 productive sectors concluded that "... Although there is a positive trend in employment generation, reaching an average of 8.1% annually, domestic firms have been limited in their efforts to fill vacancies. "
With the training of 8000 construction workers the guild seeks to improve the quality of the workforce and prepare to meet the demand from projects announced by the government and private industry.
The worker training sessions will be conducted jointly by the Nicaraguan Chamber of Construction (NCC) and the Technological Institute (Inatec), and will begin with the training of 8000 workers over a period of 4 months.
The new rules adopted by the Ministry of Labour will come into effect in February 2015 and the penalties for breaking them involve fines of between 3 and 16 minimum wages.
On August 8 the Regulation on Occupational Health and Safety issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare was published in the Official Newspaper, relating to Governmental Agreement No. 229-2014.
On August 26th training will be provided in Guatemala on the features, requirements and conditions for selling products in the Mexican market.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalan Exporters Association (Agexport):
Overcoming obstacles which have traditionally limited Guatemalan exports to Mexico, being aware of and taking advantage of opportunities in the Mexican market through strategic alliances which will help you to be efficient in the export process, minimizing risks, time and resources are some of the goals of the Workshop on Innovative Strategies to Start or Increase Your Exports to Mexico, an activity organized by the School of Foreign Trade -AGEXPORT-, and which will take place on August 26, 2014.