Student record 2018/19 - Further guidance on Apprenticeship students
Student record 2018/19 - Further guidance on Apprenticeship students
Version 1.0 Produced 2018-07-06
Higher Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships
Higher and Degree Apprenticeships offer a work-based learning programme, as well as leading to higher education qualifications. To ensure that apprenticeship programmes are delivered consistently to agreed standards, a set of requirements are defined. Previously these were called Apprenticeship Frameworks, however these are being phased out and replaced by Apprenticeship Standards.
As students on these apprenticeships lead to higher education qualifications, they fall within the coverage of the HESA Student return. In addition, as apprenticeships include work-based learning, these students also fall into the Individualised Learner Record (ILR), which is the key Data collection for further education and work-based learning in England, and is returned to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
Data Requirements
Providers are required to return data regarding students studying on Apprenticeships to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) through the ILR on a monthly basis. Providers' funding is dependent upon this return. For full details of the timescales and requirements, providers should refer to the ILR specification documents found here.
Students studying on higher and degree apprenticeships fall within the coverage of the HESA Student return and so will need to be included in providers' HESA Student record submission in addition to the ILR return. The Data collection schedule for the HESA Student return can be found here.
While the ILR return for the ESFA is separate to any records that HESA collects, providers are still able to use the HESA Data collection system to produce an ILR file. From 2016/17, the record specification has been amended to incorporate the data necessary for submission to the ILR and an ILR schema compatible output file containing the relevant students can be produced using the HESA Data collection system. Providers are however able to use an alternative software systems to generate their ILR file of their own choice.
Data Submission Process
Providers can generate monthly ILR files in the Data collection system through the relevant Student Record. For example, providers will use the C17051 Student Record to generate an ILR file for apprentices in the 17/18 reporting year. In order that providers can use the HESA Data collection system to return monthly ILR files, the Student return will open in the Data collection system by August of the reporting year. At this stage, the full functionality of the student record will not be available, however an ILR file will still be able to be generated.
When a file that passes schema validation is uploaded to the HESA Data collection system and the data field ILRGEN = 1 is returned, an ILR output file will be produced. The output file will conform to the ILR schema and can be used by providers for submission to the ILR. Whilst the HESA Data collection system will include some validation to assist providers in quality assuring this data, additional validation and reporting is present on the ILR system. Providers should therefore be aware that a file which passes HESA's validation will meet the schema for the ILR but may not pass further validation when submitted to the ILR.
The functionality within the Data collection system will be released incrementally throughout the year, with the full system available in time for the Student Record return. Providers will then need to ensure that Apprenticeship students are also included within the full Student return with all the appropriate fields required for HE students (further guidance for this can be here).
Need help?
Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.