ICEF has launched a new platform called Due Diligent, a system that it describes as “the first AI-powered tool designed to ensure ethical, transparent and compliant educator-agency partnerships”.

It aims to improve the transparent monitoring of agent finances, representatives, social media and in-country marketing.

The company already accredits over 2,300 agents and has trained more than 140,000 counsellors, enabling them to become certified through the ICEF Academy.

The new platform promises to provide both educators and agents with real-time information about one another in a reciprocal way, including financial and regulatory checks as well as social media listening.

Scaled by using the latest wave of artificial intelligence technology, the ICEF software constantly scans agent activity based on an institution’s own approved list, creating regular reports of social media messaging happening in each market to ensure it is on brand and compliant.

Unapproved use of branding or incorrect information can also be flagged, allowing institutions better visibility of the long tail of subagent networks.

Due Diligent has also been designed to search for information on the individuals who operate and own agencies, including financial checks and media coverage. The aim is to identify bad actors who may reappear again in another agency.

Speaking to The PIE News, ICEF’s chief visionary officer, Tony Lee, said: “Most importantly, the new platform is looking at the individuals behind an agency. It’s about that transparency of knowing who those agencies are, so it’s not just a random company name in a random country – it’s knowing who’s behind that company as an individual.

“We’ve also been able to use the next generation of social media listening software and crawling software so that we can hear and see what those individuals are saying in the public spaces,” continued Lee.

Most importantly, the new platform is looking at the individuals behind an agency
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The launch of ICEF Due Diligent is part of ICEF’s wider ‘Together for Transparency’ campaign, which is championing professional standards and greater trust between educators, recruitment agencies and students worldwide.

“ICEF has been working in the agent space for 30 years,” continued Lee. “But we’re not judge or jury. We’re giving the framework for the entire sector to be effectively the ones that judge what is good or bad practice, we’re simply turning the lights on [to help make a considered decision].

The platform was developed in consultation with over 400 industry stakeholders. One of the main frustrations expressed by the sector has been the burden of annually auditing large agent networks.

It is hoped that the use of a continual AI-powered monitoring tool can relieve that burden and free up more time for strategic training, counselling and recruitment support.

Markus Badde, CEO of ICEF, explained: “In today’s competitive and increasingly regulated environment, trust is everything. ICEF Due Diligent gives educators, agencies and stakeholders the confidence that their partners meet the highest professional and ethical standards, continuously.”