A language institute operated by UK vocational education providers has opened in Mauritania, marking the first education collaboration between the UK and the African country.

TVETUK has launched on-the-ground offices in both Kazakhstan and Algeria to meet the growing demand for skills development in the oil & gas industries. The organisation says this will secure more agreements for its members.

The organisation charged with growing the UK's technical and vocational education exports says it has doubled its turnover to £40 million in a little over a year. TVET UK's growth has been driven by multi-figured deals with governments and corporations in Nigeria, Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia. TVET UK is also establishing an office in Saudi Arabia.

TVET UK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture to help improve standards of vocational education in Indonesia and meet the needs of industry. A number of UK colleges are already benefiting from the deal.

TVET UK has signed an MOU with the Libyan National Board for Technical and Vocational Education (NBTVE) to boost vocational training opportunities in Libya. The association, which represents around 70 British vocational training colleges and suppliers, said the move would open up a “pipeline of support” to post-revolution Libya as it looked to up-skill its workers and build capacity.

Peak body for vocational educational and training in the UK, TVET UK, is to help Bahrain up-skill its workforce after signing an important MOU in the country last week. The agreement is with Tamkeen — a government-backed agency dedicated to developing human capital in the country.

Vocational education is a hugely important sector and a major contributor of building soft power for the UK. Many developing countries need access to skills, we have the best skills system in the world, we just need to sell it better.