The Progress Group

Sumita
Awards  ·  Business Growth  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group’s Transformation and Innovation Director Crowned “Most Innovative Leader 2023 – UK (Education & Training)”

The Progress Group, an award winning national provider of education and training are celebrating a further success in EdTech having learned that their Transformation and Innovation Director, Sumita Chopra, has been announced as the Most Innovative Leader 2023 in UK Education and Training as part of the Most Innovative Leader Awards.

The Most Innovative Leader Awards 2023 have been launched by Innovation in Business to shine a spotlight on individuals who are pushing the boundaries, surpassing expectations and thinking beyond the status quo across their respective fields.

Responding to the changing educational needs of students through the COVID 19 pandemic and beyond, Sumita Chopra has led the organisation’s edtech innovation, with a particular focus on specialist Alternative Provision provider, Progress Schools. Here she has led on the creation and implementation of a digital platform that is enhancing the educational experience of some of the most vulnerable young people in society.

The Progress Group entered the Innovation Sprint Programme with Edge Hill University in 2021 with a focus to meet the increasing demand within alternative education provision through exploring digitisation.

Research at the time reported there to be 473,300 children and young people with Education, Health & Care (EHC) plans in January 2022, a 10% increase from January 2021, and market insight showed a high number of fixed and permanent exclusions, especially in Northwest and Northeast England. The Northeast for example had a Permanent Exclusion Rate of 0.8% of all students, and a suspension rate of 6.97%.  Due to the increased complexities of the young people being referred to Progress Schools, it was felt that a more agile and immersive virtual learning platform was required, in order to best meet the needs of generation Alpha.

Sumita said “The integrated technology platform that we have developed, enabled Progress Schools to enrol and educate “non-attender” learners, who for various reasons cannot attend a physical school site. It also facilitates more specialised subject learning, delivered by subject specialists, something that we have not been able to achieve previously due to the volume of learners being much lower than mainstream settings.

“The innovative platform uses multi-disciplinary software ecosystems. We have carefully selected educational technology & resources to provide an immersive and engaging journey for learners. The school structure, timetable, and discipline are seamlessly applied as per DfE guidelines both in a virtual and hybrid environment. This is underpinned by a sound pedagogical learner centric approach, which ensures high standards of education delivery and subject specialisation.

“The new service idea and focus was skilfully nurtured and tactfully challenged by the ‘Innovation Sprint programme’ with market insight data, operational probability and financial robustness resulting in a sound business case for additional growth investment from the Progress Schools board with a viable Target Operating Model (TOM).”

Following the successful partnership with Edge Hill to develop phase one of the programme, Progress Schools have now secured £200k of funding from InnovateUK to develop a new student assessment tool which utilises  Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide individualised learning journey’s for each student.

Sumita continued “

It is heartening that, off the back of this hard work and the brilliant innovation developed by our team, we have received such recognition by Innovation in Business.

“It is truly an honour to be awarded Most Innovative Leader 2023 – UK (Education & Training).  Across The Progress Group, we are passionate about supporting the aspirations of our learners, and we will continue to explore new and innovative ways to achieve that.”

 

Business Growth  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group acquires leading e-learning provider AC Education to bolster their digital learning division

Award-winning education and training business, The Progress Group, has today announced their acquisition of AC Education, a leading provider of eLearning for children’s services and the education sector.

The acquisition, which comes just two years after the acquisition of award-winning eLearning provider Grey Matter Learning, will be a significant enhancement to the company’s digital learning provision which already supports over 66,500 individuals every year.

AC Education offers a suite of over 150 specialist courses for the children’s services and education sectors. Since being founded in 2007, the company has had year-on-year growth, and this acquisition by The Progress Group will be a catalyst for significant growth over the next 3 years.

Jayne Worthington, The Progress Group CEO said;

“This strategic acquisition will significantly strengthen and enhance our eLearning offer, facilitating our expansion into new markets whilst also enabling us to increase our offer to our existing customers. The labour market demand for online learning, particularly in the education industry, has continued to rise significantly with research reporting a 900% growth rate globally since the year 2000. Therefore, it is vital that businesses such as ours invest in capabilities in this area in order to best serve the sectors in which we work.

“AC Education compliments our Group-wide purpose of changing lives through the power of education and training, and their team embodies our values perfectly. We are delighted to welcome them, their expertise, and their passion to our Group.”

The addition of their staff base will bring the total number of individuals employed across The Progress Group and its subsidiaries to circa 175.

Managing Director of AC Education, Rachel Houlden said;

“This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for AC Education, enabling us to significantly expand our geographical footprint whilst enhancing our offer for our existing customers.

“There is a natural synergy between AC Education and Grey Matter Learning and, by working closely together, we will be able to share technological developments to provide an immersive, fully accessible eLearning solution, whilst also being able to significantly increase the training solution available to our existing providers and local authorities.”

The acquisition comes at a time when The Progress Group are already heavily investing in their online learning provision within Progress Schools through their partnership work with Edge Hill’s SME Productivity & Innovation Centre (PIC). Having recently secured £200k of funding from Innovate UK to develop and embed Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities within their alternative education provision, The Progress Group are committed to delivering cutting-edge eLearning solutions for individuals.

Jasmine Mulligan - The Progress Group
Business Growth  ·  Employee appointment  ·  The Progress Group
Progress People: Jasmine Mulligan

In 2022, The Progress Group welcomed a new shining star into its ranks, Jasmine Mulligan. Jasmine joined the organisation as Curriculum Manager, a role that saw her lead curriculum development across The Progress Group.  

Before joining The Progress Group, Jasmine spent 10  years working in mainstream education. After completing her English Literature degree, she began working with charitable organisations that supported young people with their English skills through  creative writing. Her work with those organisations paved the way for her career in teaching. “Before starting with TPG, I was working as Head of English and Professional Tutor – which meant I was looking after the training of teachers, new starters, and early career teachers (ECTs) in my school. During this time, I developed a deep interest in pedagogy, designed to support the most vulnerable learners,” Jasmine said.  

 In such a short space of time, Jasmine has had a huge impact across the Group. Her previous experience, thirst to develop, and ambitious mindset have been recognised by senior colleagues, including The Progress Group CEO, Jayne Worthington. Jasmine expressed that she always had an interest in Alternative Provision as a sector and admitted this element attracted her to TPG. She said: “I was teaching in a school where the number of students with SEND needs was extremely high, and the pupil premium proportion was even higher.  

 “Several of my students had moved onto Alternative Provisions and I had working relationships with the staff in those provisions – I was really interested in the sector. 

 “The idea of working across a whole organisation and the ability to support vulnerable young people all over the country was a real appeal for me.”  

 For Jasmine, the most exciting part of the role at TPG was the chance to develop an online learning platform designed to bring education to those who otherwise would not have access. Coming into the organisation, Jasmine was keen to immerse herself in the ‘business aspect’ of the Group. She was confident that her wealth of experience in teaching would be a truly valuable addition to the team makeup.  Given her previous experience, it’s no surprise that Jasmine understands the importance of education and training. She said: “For me, education offers all children the chance to see that they have choices in their life, beyond those they may have been previously exposed to.  

 “I am a passionate believer in teaching young people to advocate for themselves and others around them so they enter the world with an understanding of the service they can provide to those they interact with.  

 “I hope that every student we work with realises their worth and talents and finds a way to channel that into our society.”

When asked how she would sum up her time at The Progress Group so far, Jasmine said: “The Progress Group is a place full of energy and so far, every day has been an adventure.”

Reflecting on her role so far, Jasmine admitted that her favourite part of the job was interacting with staff and students.  

“The young people I have met have been full of energy, talent, and humour, and I feel very blessed to have been welcomed into classrooms by so many of them in such a short space of time.  

 “A real passion of mine is working collaboratively with others to discuss learning and teaching practices and understand how we can improve them. My role has allowed me to explore and learn more about teaching than I could have ever imagined. I have had some really passionate values and research-driven conversations with colleagues across the organisation.” 

Jasmine wants to see her role evolve in the coming months and years.  

 “My ambition for the future is that I can work with staff to build their confidence in, and hunger for, teaching and learning creatively in a way that continually improves education. I’m a great believer in the organisational power of ‘lifting-up’ staff so they can be their best selves. So, I hope to be a part of that in some way – however big or small!” Jasmine said.  

SME Awards Night
The Progress Group
The Progress Group scoop two accolades in Edge Hill University’s NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards 2022

The Progress Group (TPG) were delighted to win two awards at Edge Hill University’s recent NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards 2022. The prestigious awards, which were scored independently and assessed against achievements within a specific context to each business, celebrated the growth and innovation successes of businesses across the North West.

The Progress Group were Highly Commended in the Growth Strategy category which recognised SMEs who have grown through the implementation of a highly effective business strategy. In addition, the Group also won the Outstanding Achievement Award which is given to a shortlisted company who the judges felt had demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment to embrace their innovation by changing culture and practice to progress themselves, their organisation, their staff, and their community.

The Progress Group has been working with Edge Hill University’s Productivity & Innovation Centre since 2021. During this time, they have been supported to complete the Innovation Sprint Programme with the specific desire of creating a multi-disciplinary software ecosystem to nurture a young person’s potential through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This new delivery method enables Progress Schools to deliver a learner centric virtual learning solution, meaning even the hardest to reach young people can access an Alternative Education provision.

The project will now move in to a second phase of development which aims to use artificial intelligence to help shape personalised learning and delivery.

SME Awards Night

Progress Group CEO Jayne Worthington said: “We are elated and overjoyed with our success at the NW SME Growth and Innovation Awards. Getting a Highly Commended Award in our category for Growth Strategy was amazing. To be recognised for Outstanding Achievement on the night was an absolute shock – but one we are very proud of.

“We would like to say a big thank you to the Edge Hill University team who worked with us. You have been fantastic, patient and generous with your time, and guidance on this ongoing journey.”

The awards required The Progress Group to demonstrate impact and success in product and service innovation, leadership, job and skills creation and adoption of new technology. They were the only business to win two awards on the evening.

Associate Director of SME PIC Professor Simon Bolton said: “The awards are a great opportunity for the SMEs that we have worked with to demonstrate their business success and showcase the impact. The work we do with businesses is pivotal to the development of highly-skilled job opportunities for our students and supporting academic knowledge exchange. Well done to all the shortlisted SMEs and winners.”

For more information on the work of The Progress Group please visit: theprogress-group.co.uk

Ryan
The Progress Group
Nurturing Home-grown talent: Ryan Lam’s Story

After graduating with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, Ryan Lam decided he wanted a career change. The adverse economic climate affected the aerospace industry and left Ryan with limited career options.

Ryan had a keen interest in Data Analytics and felt this was an area where he would like to pursue a career.

In April 2021, Ryan joined The Progress Group (TPG) under the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. The Scheme provided funding to employers to create jobs for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit.

Ryan was employed on a six-month placement as a Data Analyst in the marketing department, which saw him primarily working on market research and data analysis.

He quickly became a valued team member, providing valuable contributions to business planning and team activity One of his greatest achievements during this time was presenting the key findings of one of his reports to the senor leadership team within one of our subsidiaries, an activity that significantly enhanced their business planning for the forthcoming year. Ryan used this opportunity with the business to hone his data analysis and interpretation skills, whilst also developing his knowledge of IT systems such as PowerBI.

Ryan’s meticulous attention to detail, hard work and genuine passion for the role was quickly recognised, and when a role came up for a permanent Data Analyst, Ryan was quick to throw his hat in the ring.

Ryan said: “During my transition into my permanent role, I needed to get up-to-speed quickly on new systems and best practices.

“Having not strictly come from an IT background, I knew that there were gaps in my knowledge but through collaborations with industry professionals and nurturing from my manager, I was supported to plug these knowledge gaps.

“I was given continuous support and coaching, which helped guide me in the right direction. I received constructive criticism, which helped me identify areas for improvement and make changes to enhance my work.”

Ryan highlighted how his motivation and perseverance were also key to his success. He said: “It takes some self-motivation and perseverance to proactively learn new skills and handle new technical projects.”

In his current role, Ryan is responsible for developing PowerBI tools and dashboards, providing operational dashboards to streamline workflow, and ad-hoc data analytic duties to support business decision-making.

Ryan praised TPG for fostering a culturally inclusive workplace where he feels appreciated morally and professionally. He also highlighted how he felt supported to develop professionally.

He said: “I have been given many valuable opportunities and exposure to grow in the field of data analytics. Most of my CPD came in the form of on-the-job training and projects. There was also one occasion when I worked with an external consultancy agency, which helped me gain new knowledge and technical skills.”

Despite only being at the onset of his professional career, Ryan has ambitions to further develop his skills in the data analytics field. Ryan said: “I would love to become a senior data analyst or engineer in the coming five years.”

When asked what his favourite part of the job is, Ryan said: “For me, my job satisfaction comes from feedback from my colleagues. My work can save colleagues hours of admin time and allows them to focus more on the value-adding elements of the business, which is fantastic.

“I also love the flexibility of the role. I was recently able to travel home to Hong Kong for a much-needed reunion with my family and friends while still being able to work.

“The Group is like a big family, and you are supported professionally and personally.”

The Progress Group is a group of subsidiaries providing education and training to 11 – 65-year-olds. The Group comprises six subsidiaries, each supporting different demographics.

The Group’s mission of changing lives through the power of education is echoed through the workforce, as they support their colleagues to excel in their careers.

Progress Schools and Careers MDs
Business Growth  ·  Employee appointment  ·  The Progress Group
The Progress Group Announce Two Senior Appointments to Accelerate Business Growth

Liverpool-headquartered training and education specialists, The Progress Group, have announced two senior appointments to accelerate business growth.

The Progress Group comprises six subsidiaries, each serving different industries and demographics. Collectively the Group supports individuals aged 11 to 65 to access high-quality training and education.

Among the six subsidiaries are Progress Schools and Progress Careers which work within the 11 – 16 age bracket.

Progress Schools is a national alternative education provider with 14 independent secondary schools throughout England. Progress Careers operates a national Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) service to schools and educational institutions.

Earlier this week, the Group announced the appointment of Charlotte Barton as Managing Director of Progress Schools and Paula Thompson as Managing Director of Progress Careers.

Both Charlotte and Paula previously held the role of ‘Interim Managing Director’ before the announcement. Each comes with a wealth of experience in their respective areas and is well-equipped to support the Group’s impressive expansion plans and ensure high quality service.

The strategic move comes as the Group begin to double down on its ambitious growth plans. Due to demand, the plans see Progress Schools grow its national footprint in the sector and open several new alternative provision schools. Significant investment has been made to ensure the success of the plans.

Group CEO, Jayne Worthington, explained how training and education are integral to the UK economy. She said: “The current climate has highlighted the vital role training and education play in our society’s social and economic stability. Skills development,  an agile behaviour set and critical thinking underpins the country’s economy and is a determining factor for the UK’s workforce resilience.

“As a group of training and education specialists, we are wholeheartedly committed to providing our learners with opportunities that enhance their life trajectories and ultimately enable them to make their own life choices.”

Charlotte and Paula’s appointments come during a pivotal transitional period for the Group as they begin to explore new markets and make moves to become a household name in the training and education sector.

Jayne said: “We have huge plans at the Group, but at the forefront of those plans is our people. Our colleagues are the driving force behind our success, and I am confident that Charlotte and Paula will excel in their roles and support us in levelling-up our services to those who need them most.”

Charlotte and Paula’s appointments now bring the Group’s total of women in senior leadership positions to five.

 

Notes to editors:

The Progress Group comprises six subsidiaries operating across the UK, including Complete Skills Solutions, Complete Training Solutions, Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Grey Matter Learning, and Prepare to Achieve. Each business serves a different industry and demographic and supports individuals aged 11 to 65 to access high-quality training and education.

Employee appointment  ·  Grey Matter Learning  ·  The Progress Group
Grey Matter Learning appoint new Managing Director

Grey Matter Learning, a leading social care training provider, has recently appointed Phil Hitchcox as its new Managing Director. The appointment will see Phil lead the organisation’s strategic development.

Phil, who joined the business in 2022, has ambitions to make Grey Matter Learning (GML) the social care training provider of choice across the UK. Before this role, Phil spent some time working for one of the largest social care companies, CareTech Group, where he supported attracting and developing a 12,000 strong workforce in over 600 care settings.

Phil joins the business with a wealth of experience across the education sector, with almost 13 years’ experience under his belt. During this time, his varying roles mostly centred around supporting employers to develop their workforces through work-based learning and apprenticeships.

In the early stages of his career, Phil spent some time working for the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), where he helped large employers to implement and develop apprenticeship programmes to develop the skills of their people.

Talking about his appointment, Phil said;

“I am thrilled to be joining GML at such a pivotal moment for the business. GML offers the social care industry something truly unique, inspiring and impactful. The learning that they provide makes a real difference in the industry.

“My ambition is to help more care organisations benefit from the learning GML can offer – as well as enhance the experience and value we offer existing customers.”

Phil went on to discuss how he also plans to develop the current learning programmes further and explore how those programmes can be delivered. Currently, GML’s course delivery is prominently online, with some face-to-face courses available.

“GML immediately stood out as an impressive and purposeful business, that makes a difference in people’s lives every day. Above all else, it has a really strong team of people who not only understand social care and what our customers want, they are passionate about the care industry and making a real difference.” Phil said.

Speaking on Phil’s appointment, The Progress Group CEO, Jayne Worthington said;

“As a Group, we are committed to fostering a leadership team that can deliver on our vision and mission statement to change lives through the power of education and training. Phil’s experience coupled with his passion for championing change makes him the perfect fit for our business.

“Since GML joined the Group 12-months ago, we have seen some transformative changes across the business, as we bolstered operations to support even more care providers with their training needs.

“The social care sector landscape is rapidly changing as providers begin to navigate a new normal in a post-COVID-19 world. But the importance of education and training for social care professionals remains unchanged. Phil’s appointment will see GML drive forward and support even more providers to deliver high-quality, effective training to their care staff.”

Grey Matter Learning is part of a larger group of training and education specialists – The Progress Group. Throughout the UK, The Progress Group’s subsidiaries use high-quality training and education opportunities to drive forward social mobility. Across the group, services are available to individuals aged 11 to 60.

The Progress Group welcomes new Financial Controller
The Progress Group
Complete Skills Solutions appoints Terry Collier and Kate Carling to two new director positions

Adult Education Training provider Complete Skills Solutions have appointed Terry Collier as Operations Director and Kate Carling as Quality Director.

Terry has worked for the last 18 years in the Further Education sector, with an impressive 12 years in leadership roles. Terry started his career in Further Education at Hopwood Hall College where he secured a position as Electrical Installation Lecturer, moving on to management and directorate roles. He left to join the Growth Company in 2017 where he managed several funding streams including study programmes for adults, apprenticeships and commercial training. After a short stint with B2W group, he joined Complete Skills Solutions in the capacity of Operations Director.

Talking of his experience, Terry said:
“I am emotionally connected to supporting the Workforce Development Division in providing a dependable, flexible offer to achieve our purpose of changing lives through the power of education.”

After working at a senior management level in a range of Independent Training Providers in both quality and operational roles, Kate joins the Workforce Development Division of The Progress Group as Quality Director.

 

Kate brings over 20 years of experience as a Qualified Assessor, Lead Internal Verifier, External Verifier, and within the management of operations and the quality of provision. Kate has extensive experience in developing and managing multiple sector delivery including study programmes, traineeships, apprenticeships, and adult education.

Kate is committed to providing workforce development solutions that support local and national skills priorities which lead to positive outcomes.

Speaking of her appointment, Kate said:
“I am passionate about providing individuals with alternative routes into education and employment by creating high-quality sector-specific training pathways that provide both career and education progression opportunities.”

Ian Green, Managing Director of the Workforce Development Division within The Progress Group said: “I am so pleased to welcome Terry and Kate into our business. Both have a huge amount of experience in the education sector and have a proven track record of success in their previous posts. I know both Kate and Terry will have a positive impact within the business which will ultimately impact positively on all our learners. I am excited to see this and to see how they both integrate across the business.”

The Progress Group
Social Impact Report: The Progress Group generated £21.4m of Social Value
Download The Social Value Report


The Progress Group, the education and training specialist driving forward social mobility, has generated £21,481,700 of social value in two years.

The Group commissioned consultancy The Connectives to complete a full impact analysis of operations and activities during 2019-2021, in order to identify the value the Group is delivering to society as a whole.

The findings show the Progress Group’s subsidiaries – Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Innovative Alliance, Complete Training Solutions and Prepare to Achieve – have collectively produced more than £20m of social value during a time characterised by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Social value is the full net value an organisation provides to society, including how it supports the local economy, how it can provide other benefits and present opportunities for disadvantaged groups.

The Progress Group’s mission is to leave societies and communities in a better situation than when they found them and for every £1 The Progress Group has invested into the delivery of services, £1.44 of social value has been generated during 2019-2021.

The Social Audit Network process of social accounting was undertaken as a method of social impact assessment and qualitative and quantitative data collection process was carried out in order to assess whether the Group and its subsidiaries have had an impact on the lives of learners, customers and staff.

Such data was gathered from 1-2-1 interviews, case studies and subsidiary performance reports. The report also utilises Social Return on Investment methodology introducing financial proxies to enumerate the social value derived from the subsidiaries’ activity.

Despite the global pandemic, The Progress Group has still managed to make huge positive social and economic impact through the provision of a range of education and employment interventions.

The Progress Group has supported cost savings to the public purse and value for money by reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training and progressing them into one of these opportunities.

Young people who were previously not attending mainstream schooling to complete their formal education have also been aided while the Progress Group has also helped people access training and qualifications to secure employment in emerging ‘Green’ industries.

Jayne Worthington, CEO of the Progress Group said, “The social value generated and the Progress Group’s impact on society means students have been able to complete their formal education and move to the next stage of their life with renewed confidence.

“They have felt valued and respected by their schools as importantly their unique contributions have been recognised and appreciated, building self-confidence and resilience to be citizens of the future.”

The Group has generated £11,300,016 of savings to the public purse through the delivery of its activities, ensuring it is a net contributor to the local economy – providing jobs, developing the local workforce and creating learning environments in which young people are valued and can thrive.

Worthington added, “The Group has also grown a workforce of technical specialists, qualified to meet the needs of local, national and international employers, increased general skill levels and employability in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). population, directly addressing local skills gaps in the workforce and also increased local wealth as a result of increased employment, and consequent local spend positively contributing to the economy of the LCR.”


Download The Social Value Report
The Progress Group
US Board of Directors Visit: Marvin Smith

Complete Training Solutions Leadership Team with Marvin Smith

 

This week, The Progress Group has been joined by the company’s Non-Executive Director, Marvin Smith Jr, CPA.

 

Marvin flew over from the US this weekend where he spent time getting to know the city of Liverpool, home of The Progress Group HQ. To add to the traditional British experience and enable Marvin an authentic taster of the UK, he was joined by members of the Progress team to watch the highly anticipated Liverpool vs Manchester United game at Old Trafford Stadium on Sunday.

 

Throughout this week, Marvin has had the chance to meet with staff from TPG to discuss the different areas of the business in which they work. As the group has ownership of 6 businesses; Progress Schools, Progress Careers, Complete Training Solutions, Innovative Alliance, Grey Matter Learning and Prepare to Achieve, there has certainly been a large ground to cover.

 

Marvin was also present for Progress Education’s event at the Houses of Parliament this week, a huge occasion that aimed to address to lack of regulation in alternative provision schools across the country.

 

Ian Green, MD of the Workforce Development Division of TPG said: “It has been a pleasure to meet with Marvin this week and allow him to witness first hand all of the great work that takes place within my area of The Progress Group. The company is going through a very exciting period, full of growth and development and I am very keen to showcase this to one of our directors.

 

“I wanted to provide Marvin an opportunity to see our amazing facilities and also to meet some of the Managers from within my team. Collectively we are all very passionate about the businesses and I know this came through in the meetings we held with Marvin.”

 

Marvin brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to TPG. As a certified public accountant, he is employed by Noble Consulting as a Vice President. Alongside this, Marvin is also a board member and Treasurer of a non-profit organization that aims to support underprivileged women afford cancer treatment.

 

On behalf of all of the staff at TPG, we wish Marvin a warm welcome to the UK.

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