Guatemala’s Education Ministry and AGEXPORT signed an agreement on April 23rd, 2020, to develop special virtual training programs on English focused on high-school students. The main objective is to provide students with enough capabilities to later opt for a job at the call center industry.

This program will be possible due to the experience of AGEXPORT’s Contact Center & BPO sector on different English programs, including its Finishing School that has more than five years preparing agents and improving their English skills to enter this industry.

We are very pleased with the step that the Education Ministry is taking today. It is historical and will represent a turning point for the country. Strengthening technical and vocational training on future high-school graduates is key to guarantee they will find employment opportunities and is especially important when it incorporates English skills. For us, it is an honor to be part of this educational transformation. We have always believed that the best way to increase employment opportunities is by aligning public education with what the labor market is demanding around the world. Our participation on this program and its pilot plan was thought to be physically; yet, with the regulations established to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we had to quickly adapt the program to be offered online. Therefore, we will use our recent experience with our online Finishing School to guarantee the success of this new program; said Mr. Manuel Gordo, President of AGEXPORT’s Contact Center & BPO Sector.

AGEXPORT will support the Education Ministry with the education of every student that participates on this new program, guaranteeing a first-class education. The Ministry, in turn, will verify that all teachers comply with the required labor hours as well as evaluate the progress of the students. The Ministry also requested a special donation of smartphones to a telecommunication company to assure that the students had the required technological tools to attend the online classes.

AGEXPORT also donated the required software licenses to the Ministry that allow students to enter the online platform. With it, AGEXPORT’s Contact Center & BPO Sector will be able to supervise the progress made by students and evaluate teachers involved in this project.

We are very happy at AGEXPORT with this project and we expect to achieve all expected results and successfully end the project at the end of the year. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are happy to provide good news for the country. AGEXPORT’s Contact Center & BPO Sector is focused on increasing employment opportunities and with this program, we believe it can be possible. We extend our full support to the government authorities and we hope that this alliance helps to achieve some of the urgent actions that the country requires to overcome the challenges that are ahead of us; said Mr. Amador Carballido, AGEXPORT’s CEO.

We are taking important steps so that in the short run, teaching English becomes a reality in all public schools across the country. With the Memorandum of Understanding signed today, we hope that the education authorities evaluate the possibility of scaling the project nationwide between 2021 and 2023; said Mr. Gordo.