2. MARKET ANALYSIS
2.4. Business Opportunity
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An advantage that these institutions provide to the project described in this work is that they all offer Spanish lessons for foreign people. Since the profile we will be looking for our teachers is that they are Taiwanese, graduated with a teaching related degree or applied Chinese, having institutions at hand for Spanish lessons will allow us to offer additional services for our academic staff, helping them to adapt to the lifestyle in Mexico.
2.4. Business Opportunity
My objective is to setup a new institute for the teaching of Mandarin Language Center in the city of Querétaro, México. This venture was chosen due to my passion for the education industry, specifically for language service businesses, in which I have had a firsthand experience in Mexico. Besides, I have access to a network of mandarin teachers in Taiwan and have knowledge of the providers and publishers necessary to have a running language school. We have an immediate source of comprehensive and very-well adapted education plans to cover the necessities of students of all ages. It is planned that the first target segment of the population would be kinder-garden students and teens; designing later programs ideal for adults and professionals.
The population of students in ages ranging from 5 to 15, which is the group intended to target first, is a growing segment in the state of Queretaro29 and particularly in the capital city. More importantly, these are children and potential students whose parents are – generally – in their early 30´s to early 40´s; this is an important indirect target segment. These are parents who understand the importance of learning a second language, whose personal work experience may have led them to understand also that Chinese language represents an opportunity of
29 Anuario estadístico y geográfico de Querétaro 2017. Querétaro’s statistic and geographic annual report 2017.
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, Gobierno del Estado de Querétaro.
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competitiveness for their children. I further observe that there is a movement starting in Queretaro, where more language schools are offering Chinese language; and our institution can capitalize from that.
Although English remains as one of the most dominant languages to learn in Mexico, it is estimated that around 13% of the population learns another language different from Spanish;
and in total, less than 5% of the population in Mexico is English-proficient30, opening the door for a proposal that can be innovative and accessible to the public. In México, Mandarin is frequently considered as the key to success, markets for Chinese speaking professionals are increasing and it appears to be, not just a complementary language to English, but rather an entire alternative. In order to find a Mandarin course however, the majority of people learn in Language centers with Mexican professors who may have had previous travel or education experience in Chinese speaking countries; in other cases, Chinese or Taiwanese individuals may offer mandarin lessons individually. In both cases, these people is often unprepared, with no credentials to properly teach and don’t have the appropriate material for this task.
What we offer is high-quality mandarin language education with an affordable tuition fee, but more importantly, with high quality education, comprehensive programs and native professors with the adequate credentials to lead in a classroom. The selected location, Queretaro, is the 5th most competitive state in Mexico where population has access to higher education and has also become Mexico’s innovation center.
The industry is signaling a need for professionals who are
30 “Inglés es posible: Propuesta de una Agenda Nacional”; 2015; p16; IMCO
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proficient in Chinese language.
It has become increasingly interesting for Chinese companies to stablish their operations in Mexican territory. Companies like Cheerson and Huawei have operations in the metropolitan area of the state, this is due to the fast-growing industry environment in Queretaro. Industry has grown too, increasing from 428 companies in 2003 to more than 1,300, companies by the end of 2013. “That’s an increase of 208% on foreign direct investment (FDI)” said Hugo Mandujano, director of Investment Promotion for the State of Querétaro in an interview for IndustryWeek31; he continued “A lot of this is thanks to a continued commitment to development and education, because the goal of the government in Querétaro is have the highest percentage of educated people in the whole country. That makes a big difference for us. Previous governors, previous administrations, probably going back two or three of administrations, helped set up goals and milestones in terms of trying to achieve competitiveness within the state. So, we have made great efforts to put the proper infrastructure and support for education, in place.”
The arrival of Huawei, as a leading company in communications, will contribute to the arrival of more companies from Chinese origin. Huawei’s investment was announced for 1500 million dollars, over 5 years, for the construction of 6 technology and service centers, for of which Will be located in Queretaro only32.
Similarly to Mexico, China is also a country that is shifting in this economy, deaccelerating the impulse for manufacturing towards service and finish goods industries. These changes demand new strategies, not only from the government, but from the population and institutions like ours
31 Why is Industry in Querétaro, Mexico Growing so Quickly?. http://www.industryweek.com. 2014
32 Querétaro se abre a inversión china. https://www.eleconomista.com.mx
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to design study plans that can capitalize on this opportunity. The pursuit of more competitive education here in the region, an education focused on competencies, is key.
A growing economy, a highly educated population, and a thriving industrial panorama establishes the base for a Chinese language center in Queretaro. It demands, that this institution is dedicated, professional and innovative. With native-speaking professors, graduated from Taiwanese Universities with a degree in education or applied Chinese, we can achieve high levels of quality education.
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