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.
The National Assembly of Panama approved in third debate the bill that defines the cost rules to be applied by educational centers, depending on the academic training modalities.
Since a bill is being discussed in the Assembly of Panama that intends to force all private educational centers to offer discounts to students who receive virtual education, the business sector is opposed to this measure, as it is an attack against free enterprise.
The Assembly informed last January 21 that a bill was presented which aims to regulate the percentage of discounts in private schools and universities, if the teaching modality is virtual, blended and face-to-face.
Due to the economic crisis generated by the covid-19 outbreak, it is estimated that between 10% and 12% of students in private institutions in Costa Rica have stopped demanding the services, and tuition fees have gone down.
When the first cases were detected in the country in March, the authorities began to decree restrictions on mobility and productive activities, a situation that generated a severe economic crisis.
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.
In Central America, more than 8 million people are looking to purchase a training service online, and 5% of these consumers explore options to subscribe to cosmetology 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 Colegio Americano de Guatemala, located in Zone 15 of the Capital, is only a 15-minute drive away, a captive market of over 93,000 people, 30% of whom are between the ages of 6 and 14.
Using the Geomarketing solutions we have developed for our clients, CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence Unit analyzed the environment of some of the most important schools in Guatemala.
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.
So far this year, interest in distance education services in the Central American markets has clearly increased, with Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama recording the largest increases in interactions on the subject.
Through a system that monitors in real time the changes in the interests and preferences of consumers in Central American countries, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project trends in demand in the short and long term, for different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
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.
Although Costa Rica invests almost 7% of GDP in education, spending efficiency is some of the worst when compared to other countries globally.
In its 2018 Annual Report, the Comptroller's Office of the Republic of Costa Rica carried out an analysis of the investment made by the State in public education versus the efficiency of spending, which is measured in the development of the skills of the student population.