Narayan AmmachchiUS-based BPO and IT services provider Sykes has reached a deal with the Costa Rican government to train people in English language skills that are required by the global services providers in the country.
The Tampa, Florida- based provider said in a statement it would train as many as 2,500 people by the end of this year.
“Sykes will hire 70% of them, and the other 30% will be employed by other services companies in Costa Rica. The goal is to train 10,000 people during the four-year program.”
Sykes claims its teaching method will fast-track the learning process.
Promoting bilingualism will help reduce unemployment by up to 25%, according to the country’s investment promotion agency (CINDE), citing a survey jointly conducted by the National Household Survey and the University of Costa Rica, which revealed there to be very low unemployment among bilinguals.
“In addition, bilingual people who work in the private sector earn an average 30% more than those who do not speak a second language,” said Jorge Sequeira, CINDE’s managing director.
Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado echoed the agency’s words, saying that learning a second language is a modern-day neccesity.
“These agreements, signed within the framework of the Alliance for Bilingualism, will allow us to have a more skilled workforce,” said Steven Núñez, the country’s minister of labor and social security.
Sykes is a veteran player in the Costa Rican BPO industry, where it employs more than 5,000 people across three delivery centers. Elsewhere in Latin America, it has operations in Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, and Brazil.
Add comment