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Skills Bootcamps in the ILR

Recording Skills Bootcamps in the ILR

Skills Bootcamps are flexible training courses up to 16 weeks. They are available to all adults aged 19 or over on 31 August of the current teaching year who are full-time or part-time employed, self-employed, unemployed, and live in England.

Skills Bootcamps are made up of the following elements, all of which must be recorded as funding model 37, source of funding (SOF) 105 and programme type 32.


Programme aim – every Skills Bootcamp must have a programme aim spanning across the entire duration of the programme. This must be recorded using ZPROG001 and Aim Type 1.

A component learning aim – every Skills Bootcamp must have a component learning aim to represent the learning taking place.

All component learning aims to represent the learning must be recorded as Aim Type 3 and these learning aims must be listed on Find a learning aim and providers must use learning aims marked with:

  • Category code 62: DFE Skills Bootcamps

This aim must be recorded with the same Learning Start Date as the Programme aim.

A component aim representing events (event aim) related to the completion of the programme, if applicable – One of the following class codes should be recorded if one of these events occurs and is related to the learning from the bootcamp:

  • use learning aim reference Z0059747 for Skills Bootcamp: offer of an interview for a role which matches skills acquired during a bootcamp

  • use learning aim reference Z0059748 for Skills Bootcamp: offer of a new role or added responsibilities, which match skills acquired during the bootcamp, with existing employer

  • use learning aim reference Z0059749 for Skills Bootcamp: receipt of plan from learner of how the bootcamp learning will be applied to acquire new self-employment opportunities/contracts

One of these 3 aims listed above must be recorded if the event occurs. Record the same date in the Learning Start Date, Learning Planned End Date and Learning Actual End Date fields when recording the event aim. If the event is the offer of an interview for example, the date to be recorded is the date when the formal offer of an interview was made, not the date of the interview itself. These aims should only be recorded as Completed (CompStatus = 2) and Achieved (Outcome = 1), and with all three date fields completed. These 3 aims should never be recorded as continuing.

Once an interview offer has been made (within the criteria specified in the funding and performance management rules), the learning aim should still be recorded even if, for some reason, the actual interview does not take place.

Against the component learning aim, complete the Learning Actual End Date when all learning activities have taken place. Record Outcome = 8 ‘Learning activities are complete but the outcome is not yet known’ at the end of learning if the event aim is still to be recorded.

Once the event aim has been recorded, the Outcome field of the component learning aim must be updated accordingly.

The programme aim must be recorded as continuing (compstatus = 1) until the component learning aim (aims with category code 62) has been completed, the learner withdraws from the programme or takes a break in learning. Refer to guidance for learner absence or withdrawal or Recording breaks in learning for Adults skills funded learners .

If an event aim is recorded but a Job offer is not made, on the programme aim, record the programme as completed (compstatus = 2), record Outcome = 3 ' No achievement'. Do not return an Achievement Date.

Recording Skills Bootcamps on the ILR: examples

Learner starts bootcamp on 1 August, interview offer has not been made, Outcome recorded as Outcome=8 on the Programme aim and component learning aim.

Aim Learning Start Date Learning Actual End date Completion Status Outcome Achievement date
Programme aim ZPROG001 01/08/2023 Continuing (completion status = 1) Outcome Not Yet Known (outcome = 8)
Learning Aim 01/08/2023 30/11/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) (Outcome Not Yet Known (outcome = 8)

Learner starts bootcamp on 8 September, interview offer after learning ends, end date of the programme aim is the same date as the interview offer. Update the programme aim as completed, update the Outcome fields accordingly.

Aim Learning Start Date Learning Actual End date Completion Status Outcome Achievement date
Programme aim ZPROG001 08/09/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (completion status = 2) Outcome Not Yet Known (outcome = 8)
Learning Aim 08/09/2023 16/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)
Class code for offer of an interview (event) 20/12/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)

Learner starts bootcamp on 8 September, interview offer after learning ends, end date of the programme aim is the same date as the interview offer. Learner is not offered a job. Update the Outcome field accordingly.

Aim Learning Start Date Learning Actual End date Completion Status Outcome Achievement date
Programme aim ZPROG001 08/09/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (completion status = 2) Not Achieved (outcome = 3)
Learning Aim 08/09/2023 16/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)
Class code for offer of an interview (event) 20/12/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)

Learner starts bootcamp on 8 September, interview offer after learning ends, end date of the programme aim is the same date as the interview offer. Learner is offered a job on 16 January following the interview. Record the job offer date in the Achievement date field. Update the Outcome field accordingly.

Aim Learning Start Date Learning Actual End date Completion Status Outcome Achievement date
Programme aim ZPROG001 08/09/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1) 16/01/2024
Learning Aim 08/09/2023 16/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)
Class code for offer of an interview (event) 20/12/2023 20/12/2023 Completed (Completion status = 2) Achieved (outcome = 1)

Full Funding Indicator

The Full or Co-funding indicator (FFI) must be used to indicate whether the employer is contributing towards funding of a bootcamp.

If the learner is being trained by their existing employer and the employer contributes towards the funding of the bootcamp then all learning aims should be recorded as FFI=2 (co-funded).

If the learner is independent (the learner is unemployed, self-employed or the employer is not contributing towards the cost) then all learning aims should be recorded as FFI=1 (fully funded).

Other Employment Type

Other Employment Type Code 2 ‘Small or Medium Employer’ must be used for Skills Bootcamps where the employer is a small or medium employer (defined in the funding and performance management rules) and where the bootcamp is co-funded. Code 2 is used to identify the size of the employer to determine the employer contribution towards Skills Bootcamps.

Contract Reference Number

This number will be in the format of 'SB-contract reference-deliverable code' or 'SBA-contract reference-deliverable code' and can be found in the provider's Appendix 1 (Summary of Funding). The contract reference prefix SBA is used for Pathway to Accelerated Apprenticeships rather than SB. The deliverable code will be after the contract reference following the second hyphen.

Achievement date for Skills Bootcamps

The Achievement date is used as the trigger date for the outcome milestone payment. The date recorded is when the learner has met the requirements of the Skills Bootcamps, completed the learning, one of the 3 event aims (listed above) may be recorded and the learner reaches a positive outcome, for example a learner gets a new job. This field must be returned when the Outcome field has been achieved (Outcome = 1). The Achievement date must be returned within six months once the Learning Actual End Date has been returned on the programme aim.

The Six-Month Rule

If the component learning aim is recorded as completed and no event aim has taken place, after six months (six months after the Learning actual end date of the component learning aim) record the programme aim as Completion Status = 2 'The learner has completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim', record Outcome = 3 'No achievement'. Against the component learning aim, record Completion Status = 2 'The learner has completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim' and Outcome = 1 or 3 'Achieved' or 'Not Achieved' in the Outcome field.