In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Ben Smith from Gordon Associates. Ben is the chair of the upcoming AO Forum event and works with awarding organisations across the UK.

They discuss:

1. The upcoming AO Forum event on 30th April in London, bringing together professionals from the awarding organisation sector

2. Gordon Associates' software solutions for awarding bodies, including their flagship Parnassus system and other specialised tools

3. Industry trends towards digital transformation, compliance requirements, and potential AI applications in the education sector

Ben shares details about the AO Forum, an annual event that brings together people from awarding organisations and endpoint assessment organisations to network and learn from regulators and industry peers. This year's event will feature presentations from Skills England (formerly iFate), a panel session with regulators from Ofqual and Qualification Wales, and discussions on compliance and operational challenges. Tim will be closing the conference with a presentation on AI applications in the sector.

Ben also discusses Gordon Associates' suite of software solutions for the education sector, including their flagship Parnassus system for managing regulated qualifications, Talus for endpoint assessment organisations, Monarch for compliance management, and Endeavor for training companies. He highlights how they've adapted their offerings to meet the changing needs of the industry over their 30-year history.

The episode concludes with a discussion about the potential applications of AI in compliance management and back-office operations within the education sector.

Book tickets for the AO Forum here: https://www.awardingorganisation.com/

Connect with Ben Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-smith-15a448144/

Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

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