T Level Component Start and End Dates

Good Morning.  Did you find an answer to your query? We are going to be deliverying T Levels from Sep 22.  We plan on delivering the Core qual all in the first year, and occupational specialism all in the second year. Did it work with the start and end dates reflecting the components?  Or did the Occ Spec aim need to cover the 2 years?  Thanks 

Hi both, did either of you have any joy with this. We had a similar issue at the start of the year but resolved this. However, we now have a different issue with learners withdrawing off the T Level, prior to starting the occupational specialism, creating ILR errors. Would be grateful for any advice on how to process this. Thanks in advance. 

Our software supplier now allows us to pull aims due to start in the following academic year, into the current year, as long as it's a T level.

Ryan Edmonds We had that same issue. It wasn't an ILR error though only a warning or pDSAT report I think, so we just noted it and that was it. What ILR error are you getting?

The error we're getting is R137 - occ spec needs to be present in the learning delivery record. As the occ spec isn't planned to be delivered until 23/24 and they have withdrawn now, we non-started them as you would a standard programme. It can't be processed as a withdrawal as the withdrawal date has to be after the start date. I'm therefore stumped how to process it, accurately, to not have this error.

Ryan Edmonds I just checked the logic on that rule, and there are no exceptions! I think they just haven't thought of this eventuality. You'll need to contact ESFA and see what they can do. If it were me, I'd put an exception on the rule to only include Continuing or Completed Programmes. If you tried to include it with the same start and end date, in the future, you'd hit LearnActEndDate_04 (If returned, the Learning actual end date must not be after the file preparation date). I guess the only thing you could do now, would be to lie about the start date, record it with the same actual end date, and push into the ILR. It's a no show either way. It would then hit your PDSATs as attend one day, when you know they didn't, so that really isn't the right solution.

Ruth Canham-James you had the same thought as me about the start date! I'll contact the ESFA and see what they say and post their response. Thank you for your help.

Hello Ryan,

Did you get a response yet from the ESFA about this issue?

Thanks,
Richard

Ruth Canham-James Richard Phipps please see below response I have just received from the ESFA - I'd be intrigued to hear your thoughts!

Thank you Ryan!

From the Provider Support Manual:

T Level qualification – this is the main technical qualification of the programme covering the core and specialist content. This qualification must be recorded for each T Level student by R04 of the first year of study and must be the core aim.

Occupational Specialism – every T Level student must choose an occupational specialism as part of their T Level programme. Although not a qualification in it’s own right it is important that institutions record the occupational specialism each student undertakes. We have set up learning aim class codes (all beginning ZTLOS) for each occupational specialism to enable clear recording.

The occupational specialism recorded will determine the level of funding the T Level programme attracts. The occupational specialism therefore, must be recorded in your data at the beginning of the first year of study.

So, it sounds like the ESFA are assuming that the main T Level technical qualification will have all the learning against it - "covering the core and specialist content", and that the T Level occupational specialism is just used to determine funding as it is - "not a qualification in it’s own right", therefore the date can (should?) match the start date of the technical qualification.

Of course providers (including us) are not coding the data that way and are timetabling learning against the technical and occupational side at different periods.

That is interesting Ryan Edmonds. It definitely doesn't say that anywhere in the rules (it says you have to record it at the beginning, not that the start date has to be at the beginning). However, as Richard has copied from the rules, the Occupational Specialism isn't actually a thing. It's like the Z00 codes on Standards all over again, just an admin tool. I don't think I'd appreciated that before, we've been treating is as separate content. If that's the case and all it does is indicate the price weighting, I'd follow the model we use for the Z00 codes on Standards, which is just to mirror everything from the Programme Aim on the Z00 code (dates, status, outcome etc). It solves the problem. It also makes me realise we need to discuss how we're going to close the Occupational Specialism at the end.