Provider support manual:

Completing the learner entity

Contents

What to include

What to include on the ILR

You must include on the ILR all learners who have attended one episode of learning.

Aims that are completed or withdrawn during the current ILR year (Completion status = 2 or 3).

If a learner withdraws without completing one episode of learning – for example, without attending the first class – then they must not be included on the ILR.

Your ILR returns must include all aims that meet the criteria below, and any aims for the previous year that have since been corrected.

Any aims reported as continuing in the final return (R14) for the previous year that are not reported in the current year will be treated as withdrawn in the qualification achievement rates (QARs).

Details about migrating data from between years can be found in Appendix B of the ILR specification, including details about changes that may affect learners continuing from the previous year and those learners on a break in learning.

Migration is the process by which ILR data is converted from one academic year to the next.

Aims that are part of an apprenticeship programme

The current ILR must also include the following that are part of an apprenticeship programme:

• Programmes where the programme aim is completed (Aim type = 1, Completion status = 2 and Learning actual end date is completed) and the learner is continuing with an English or maths aim

Completing the final return for the current year

The final ILR return for the current year allows you to send details of the outcomes of learning aims that were completed up to and including 31 July.

Your final ILR return must include all Learner and Learning Delivery data that has been returned during the year, including all records as described above and any records that have been amended during the year (for example, to correct data errors).

Achievement funding and Job outcome funding for learning aims funded through the Adult skills funding model that are completed in the current year will only be paid if the achievement is reported in the current year.

The following should not be returned in the final ILR return for the current year, but should be returned in the following year:

• Learning aims that start after 31 July of the current year

• Actual end dates after 31 July of the current year

• Achievement dates after 31 July of the current year

Learner details: completing the Learner entity

The data recorded in the Learner entity contains basic information about the learner such as their name, date of birth, sex and ethnicity.

You can only return one record on the Learner entity for each learner.

The learner’s name, date of birth and sex should match the data held by the Learning Records Service (LRS). If any of the learner’s details change, this should be recorded on the ILR and the data held by the LRS updated.

The following entities contain data that may not be required for all learners. See the individual field pages in the specification for data requirement details.

• Contact Preference – indicates the learner’s wishes about contact for marketing, research and survey purposes

• LLDD and Health Problem – additional information about a learner’s disabilities, learning difficulty and/or health problem

• Employment Status and Employment Status Monitoring – monitoring of a learner’s employment status

• Learner Funding and Monitoring – additional data to support funding and learner monitoring

• Learner Provider Specified Monitoring – additional provider data used as required and specified by the provider

• Learner HE and Learner HE Financial support – HE data fields

Recording learner contact details

The following contact information is collected on the ILR:

• Postcode prior to enrolment

• Current postcode

• Current Address lines 1-4

• Current Telephone number

• Current Email address
  

Recording learner contact preferences

Data collected in the Learner Contact Preference entity is used to record any restrictions on the use of the learner’s record to contact them about learning opportunities or for survey and research purposes. It also details any restrictions on what methods can be used to contact the learner, for example: telephone, email or post.

The only exception is where the Contact preference is recorded as ‘Learner is not to be contacted’ (RUI code 4 or 5).

Recording learner learning difficulties, disabilities (LLDD) and health problems

Data collected in the LLDD and Health Problem entity is used to collect details about the nature of the learning difficulties, disabilities and health problems of the learner.

This entity contains the following two fields:

• LLDD and health problem category

• Primary LLDD and health problem

The LLDD and health problem data is completed on the basis of the learner’s self-assessment. A learner may record as many categories as apply.

The Primary LLDD and health problem field must be returned against one of the LLDD and health problem records. The Primary LLDD and health problem field is used to indicate the most significant or primary learning difficulty, disability or health problem that impacts on the learner’s education. This indicator must only be returned against one of the LLDD and health problem records for each learner.

The Primary LLDD and health problem field is not completed where the LLDD and health problem category is returned as code 98 ‘Prefer not to say’ or code 99 ‘Not provided’.

Example

A learner has social and emotional difficulties and also dyslexia. Dyslexia has been identified as the primary difficulty affecting the learner’s education.

Two LLDD and Health Problem records are returned: one recorded with a category of code 1 ‘Social and emotional difficulties’, and the other with a category of code 12 ‘Dyslexia’.

The Primary LLDD and health problem indicator is returned against the record with category code 12 ‘Dyslexia’.

The XML for these LLDD and Health Problem records is as follows:

<LLDDandHealthProblem> <LLDDCat>1</LLDDCat> </LLDDandHealthProblem> <LLDDandHealthProblem> <LLDDCat>12</LLDDCat> <PrimaryLLDD>1</PrimaryLLDD>

Recording Learner Funding and Monitoring (FAM)

• High needs students: use code HNS1 for all high need students (16-19 funded only).

• Education Health Care Plan: use EHC1 if the student has an EHC plan.

• Learner support reason: required if the student has received support from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund or residential support. If not applicable, leave blank.

• Eligibility for 16-19 (excluding apprenticeships) disadvantage funding: use code EDF1 for students who have not achieved a maths GCSE (at grade A*-C or 9-4) by the end of year 11 and/or EDF2 for students who have not achieved an English GCSE (at grade A*-C or 9-4) by the end of year 11.

• GCSE maths condition of funding: use where a student is exempt from or has met the GCSE maths condition of funding.

• GCSE English condition of funding: use where a student is exempt from or has met the GCSE English condition of funding.

• Free meals eligibility: use code FME2 where a 16 to 19 year old student is eligible for and in receipt of free meals.

For 16-19 funded students, at least one aim must have Aim type code 5 (core aim) and all other aims must have Aim type code 4 unless the student is studying a traineeship.

All 16-19 funded high needs students use Funding model code 25. Students who are fully funded by the local authority or are social care funded are not included on the ILR.

The Source of funding for all 16-19 funded high needs students must be code SOF107.

Employment status

Recording employment status

The Employment status field describes the learner’s employment status and has the following categories:

• Code 10 In paid employment

• Code 11 Not in paid employment, looking for work and available to start work

• Code 12 Not in paid employment, not looking for work and/or not available to start work

• Code 98 Not known/not provided

Date employment status applies

Each employment status record must have an associated Date employment status applies.

There can only be one record for any given date and therefore only one employment status for a learner on any given date.

Employer identifier

From 1 April 2022, new Employer Identifier numbers are no longer issued. Please use a value of 999999999 where the employer does not exist on the Employer Data Service. There is no longer a requirement to update this within 60 days.

The Employer identifier must be recorded for every learner who is employed at the start of learning and is undertaking an apprenticeship funded learning aim.

If the learner is unemployed at the start of an apprenticeship programme and subsequently becomes employed, then a new record must be returned with the Employer identifier.

If a learner was employed with a different employer prior to starting their apprenticeship programme, then a new record must be returned with the Employer identifier of the new employer with whom they are undertaking the apprenticeship.

If the employer has an existing Employer Identifier number on the service, a valid Employer identifier must be obtained if the apprentice is employed at a school or academy.

Please use the Employer identifier of the school if this is the learner’s place of work and not the Employer identifier as the local authority.

Employment status monitoring

The Employment Status Monitoring fields should be completed with the relevant monitoring type where applicable.

For 16-19 funded learners, only the Employment intensity indicator (EII) must be completed. No other employment status monitoring is required for these learners.

There are eight Employment status monitoring types. The details of when you should return these against each employment status code is as follows:

• Self-employment indicator (SEI), code 10 if applicable

• Employment intensity indicator (EII), code 10

• Length of unemployment (LOU), code 11, 12

• Length of employment (LOE), code 10 returned for all apprentices

• Benefit status indicator (BSI), code 10,11, 12 if applicable

• Previous education indicator (PEI), code 10, 11, 12 if applicable

• Small employer (SEM) code 10 if applicable for apprenticeships only

• Other employment type (OET), code 10, 11, 12 if applicable

Recording employment status

Data about a learner’s employment status is collected in the ILR to demonstrate how the FE sector is contributing to improving the employability of the learners. This data is also used to monitor funding eligibility and so care must be taken to ensure that employment status records are completed accurately.

An Employment status record must be created for all adult learners.

16-19 funded learners on part-time programmes of study (with less than 540 planned learning hours in the teaching year) must have an Employment status record. This record must include the Employment intensity indicator (EII) type and relevant code in the Employment Status Monitoring fields.

Data about a learner’s employment status prior to enrolment must be collected in all cases when a learner first enrols with a provider. There is no defined time period for “prior to enrolment”, unless defined by the learner’s programme. If there is any doubt as to what should be recorded, you are expected to use your judgement based on the individual learner’s circumstances.

Examples

If a 16-year-old has left education in July and enrolled on a course the following September, they would be classed as previously in education.

If a learner is employed and has been on holiday or otherwise temporarily away from a job prior to starting a learning aim, they should be classed as being ‘In paid employment’.

The Employer identifier field is not collected for an Employment status prior to enrolment, unless the learner is entering into an apprenticeship with that employer.

You should only send records that relate to a learner’s current learning. You must ensure that the ‘Date employment status applies’ of the earliest Employment status record is before the earliest learning aim start date (from the Learning start date or, if completed, the Original learning start date) recorded for the learner.

You should not send historic employment status records that have a ‘Date employment status applies’ that is earlier than the employment status record that applies immediately before the earliest learning aim start date for the learner. You must return all employment status records with a date subsequent to this.

For traineeship work placements, data about the work placement employer must be recorded in the Work placement record.

Collecting employment status data

It is recommended that you collect learner employment status data through the use of a number of layered questions, similar to the approach taken for surveys. If possible, the questions should be asked in person during enrolment. An example of layered questions is provided below, the ordering of these question is important, i.e. Q1 must be asked first.

Example of layered question approach

Q1) Did you do any paid work before joining the course, either as an employee or as self-employed? Yes/No

Q2) You said you were not doing any paid work before this course – were you looking for paid work? Yes/No

Q3) Which of the following types of benefit are you claiming?

Jobseekers Allowance

Employment Support Allowance (Work Related Activity Group)

Universal Credit

Any other state benefit (includes all state benefits not just those related to unemployment)?

Q4) How long have you been out of work?

Either provide the bands on the ILR or let learner give a number and define bands later

Q5) You said you were doing some paid work – in your main job, were you?

An employee

Self-employed

Q6) How many hours per week do you work?

Either provide the bands on the ILR or let the learner give a number and define bands later

Q7) For apprentices only: How long have you been in employment with your current employer prior to starting your apprenticeship?

Either provide the bands on the ILR or let learner give a number and define bands later

Q8) Were you in full-time education before starting this course? Yes/No

Updating the employment status

New employment status records should be added for a learner in the following circumstances:

• For all learners with employment status records, if there is a change in a learner’s employer, employment status or employment status monitoring (for example, a change in the learner’s benefit status) during their learning or at the start of a new learning aim or programme

• For 16-19 funded learners, at the start of each teaching year if the details have changed since the previous teaching year

If there has been no change in the learner’s employment status, employer, or employment monitoring since the previous employment status record was added then a new record does not need to be returned.

Where the only change since the previous employment status record is the length of employment (LOE) or length of unemployment (LOU), then a new employment status record does not need to be added.

A learner may undertake several learning aims within a single learning agreement or plan, there is no need to review or add new employment records at the start of each aim.

Validation rules prevent consecutive employment status records being returned where the only change since the previous record is the Date employment status applies.

Learner eligibility

You must ensure that the learner meets any employment related eligibility criteria for the learning aims being undertaken and that the learner’s employment and benefit status prior to starting their learning is recorded accurately.

The ESFA will use the employment status data to monitor funding eligibility for adult skills fully funded learning as follows:

• Learners in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (BSI code 1)

• Learners in receipt of Universal Credit (BSI code 4) are eligible for full funding where they are determined by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) as being in one of the following groups: All Work-Related Requirements Group, Work Preparation Group, or Work-Focussed Interview Group

• Learners in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (BSI code 5)

• Learner is in receipt of other state benefits (BSI 6)