Below is a summary from an article I found on Nearshores America's website. The site is for outsoursers. "Outsourcing" is a dirty word in the developed world, but it's desirable in the developing world. A call center job is gold in the developing world.  The Guatemalan and Honduran educational systems are failing to create a sufficiently skilled labor force. Guatemala has the right intentions, but its investment in education says something else. To me, the article points out some of the educational goals we should encourage in our kids, particularly their multi-lingual abilities.  The full article is located at: http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/guatemala-and-honduras-outsourcing/4499/

........ ............... ........ ............... ............ .............. ..........

Both Guatemala and Honduras have good labor pools, but not deep ones. Which means that small problems finding qualified labor today could turn into sustainability issues in the future. What is required from both countries is a concerted effort to anticipate that increased demand for workers, or diversify into other sectors. Mario España from Invest in Guatemala is looking to do just that – “I think there will be more growth in finance, accounting and back office operations than call centers. As an agency we’re trying to shift our focus to more value added and technical functions, where the pressure for so many workers is not as great”. He admits that companies in Guatemala are currently feeling that pressure, although it’s not critical.

Honduras is harder to read because it depends on which companies locate there next and how much of an impact they will have on the workforce. With more of a bilingual population than Guatemala, the possibilities are wide open. But without much help from the government, Honduras may begin to feel the same pressure in a few years. As things stand now, the perception is that Guatemala is on its way, while Honduras is still trying to find its way.