English UK has recently improved its links in Kazakhstan after joining an official ministerial visit to the country.

The visit was organised by the office of David Lammy, minister for higher education, and included meetings and round table discussions with Kazakh officials and principals of colleges and universities.

Tony Millns, Chief Executive of English UK, was invited to represent the English language sector in the delegation. He said: “It’s a very interesting area at the moment and it looks as though there could be a lot of potential here for our members.”

Discussions centred on educational partnerships between the two nations. Kazakhstan, once part of the USSR, is rich in oil and minerals and is currently working hard to reform its technical and vocational education system to create a more skilled workforce.

A round table event organised by the British council in the Kazakh capital of Astana focused on the role of partnerships and ways of ensuring effective joint working.

The United Kingdom was represented by the Association of Colleges of Great Britain, TVET UK and English UK.

Kazakhstan’s representatives were from the Technical and Vocational Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science, Human Resource Development Center and KazMunaiGas National Company.

English UK’s sister organisation, TVET UK, has recently brokered a multi-million pound deal for six British colleges to provide training in Kazakhstan.

Engineering, ICT, teacher training and construction are among the courses which will help transform the economy of the oil-rich Central Asian state.