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.

How education technology is integrated into classroom learning was discussed at the 21st OEB conference in Berlin last week. A plenary was also held on whether educational institutions were teaching 21st century skills.

A balance is needed between higher education and vocational training in Africa if it is to face the task of upskilling its enormous youth population. This was discussed at the eLearning Africa conference last month.

Staggering figures from the the Economist Intelligent Unit show that in order to avoid a rise in regional unemployment and recession, South Asia needs to create one million additional skills training places every month for the next eight years. The report reveals that of the 100 million skilled trainees needed to spur economic growth, South Asia lacks 96 million.

Foreign education providers will be allowed to expand into Malaysia's vocational education sector, the government has announced, as it aims to increase economic growth by 2020 and alleviate major skills shortages. However, international institutions will face challenges to recruit students in the country, given only around 10% of secondary schools age students go into vo­cational and technical streams.

A new guide to the UK's technical and vocational education training sector has been produced by the British Council, in partnership with government department UKTI (UK Trade and Industry), given the increasing global interest in skills as well as qualifications.