Guidance

Education opportunities in Mexico

Published 27 October 2014

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn because it is out of date. For information on exporting visit great.gov.uk.

1. Market potential

The Mexican education and training market is a priority market for UKTI Education owing to:

  • Potential for future business
  • Potential opportunities existing across a number of sub-sectors – including training for the oil and gas industry, English language training (ELT), educational technology and online learning

2. Potential contract opportunities

Potential opportunities in Mexico include:

  • Opportunities for ELT in public schools, the vocational sector and in higher education
  • The Mexican Government’s energy reform legislation has opened up the oil and gas sector and will increase the need for skilled workers and managers
  • Opportunities in vocational training – there is a need to develop vocational training models, transferable skills and behaviours for academic progression and workplace readiness
  • Educational technology, particularly ICT in schools and interactive educational software and content for further and higher education, have been cited as priorities by the Mexican government
  • Online learning, including the creation of a National Online University

View all education opportunities in Mexico

3. Additional market information

3.1 Geographical and economic considerations

Mexico is a federal republic in North America with one federal district (Mexico City) and 31 states. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. This gives it a strategically important location between the US and South America. Covering more than 760,000 square miles, Mexico is the 13th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of more than 113 million, it is the 11th most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Mexico is the second largest economy in Latin America, with a large and growing middle class, the 10th largest oil producer in the world and the largest silver producer in the world.

3.2 Education sector overview

Mexico has one of the largest education systems in Latin America with 34 million students across all levels. Education accounts for 22% of all public spending, although a high proportion of this is staff costs. Mexico has around 115,000 secondary schools, 60 technological universities, 400 public universities and 2,000 private universities. Overall, Mexico’s education services are provided by federal government, state and municipal governments and by private institutions. Public education services are provided and regulated at federal level by the Ministry of Education (Secretaria de Educacion or SEP) and at state level by local education authorities. States have devolved education budgets.

UKTI Education

1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET