Responding to big changes in the labour market needs

North West Africa is on the brink of a major change in its fortunes. A recent discovery of gas has the potential to transform the economies of several countries in the region. For centuries, the region has relied on nomadic Bedouin animal husbandry and subsistence farming, so how can governments finance and develop the skilled workforce to make the most of the opportunities on offer?

Speaker Biography

Matt has more than 25 years' experience in marketing education training and qualifications in the UK and internationally. In August 2007, he joined TVET UK as Executive Director, and developed a commercially viable flagship brand for British vocational education in the international marketplace, and generating significant income for the sector. Following a management buyout in 2015, he took control of the strategic direction of TVET UK in order to develop new products and services to better serve developing and frontier markets. Matt has worked extensively with government and private sector organisations to develop new international markets and so create new business for the UK education sector. Before joining TVET UK, Matt spent 11 years in the City & Guilds group, in various marketing, membership and business development roles, including as Development Manager on a range of bespoke training products for clients in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. He also worked on membership marketing for the ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management).

Inspired by TVET UK's successful university opening in Mauritania 2016, which coincided with a significant gas find in coastal waters, Matt co-founded and became Chairman of the Mauritanian British Business Council (MBBC). Thus establishing a bilateral trade body between two nations with little shared history. MBBC has a grown in profile with a healthy membership and busy events calendar in both countries.

Matt is a committed advocate of vocational education and has spoken at international conferences and events and had articles published in support of this.