Mike Smith

When to increment Apprentice learners with their Level 4s

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We have begun the process of creating and recording HE values for Apprentice Level 4 courses, but I am having a problem trying to bend HE practices into an Apprenticeship Level 4 programme. Basically, I'm trying to determine which academic year's enrolment needs to have increments for a study year.

For example:

Start date of 11/02/20, and a planned end date of 21/09/21, so crossing 3 academic years. I am creating a record in 20/21, so we are technically within the first year of instance, but half-way through this academic year, we reach our anniversary, and the 2nd year of instance (11/02/21). Would we record the 20/21 enrolment study year as still being 1, or because it reaches the next instance within this academic year, 2?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

Replies

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Joanna Barrett

Hi Mike,

Years of instance are always based around the anniversary of the start date, and marrying that up with how courses are normally set up to follow academic years is always a pain (not sure if yours are). 

11/02/20 -> 10/20/21 is YoI 1,

11/02/21 -> to 10/02/22 is YoI 2 , so if they finished on 21/09/21 they finished in their 2nd YoI even though it's in the third academic year.

Jo

Mike Smith

Thank you, Joanne. 

The years of instance I do understand, but it is how I would record them that is my issue. So for my 20/21 enrolment, what value would i use for the Study Year - 1 or 2, as the year of instance changes part way through 20/21. My initial reaction is 1 as we are still in the first year  of study upon their 20/21 enrolment.

Joanna Barrett

Hi Mike,

Depends on how your enrolments are set up.  Do you just do 1 per academic year?   HE data isn't really looked at until the end of the year so I'd go for whatever YoI they're on at that point.

 

Joanna

 

Mike Smith

We do create a new enrolment for each academic year over the duration of the Apprentice programme. From what you're saying, about the HE data being looked at at the end of the year, I should use Year of Study = 2 as half-way through the 20/21 year they reach the next year of instance?

Joanna Barrett

That's the way I'd do it.  I'm thinking about it frrom how HESA returns work (I used to work in colleges but I'm in universities now)  this student would definitely be 2 for HESA purposes, and the HE dataset of the ILR is fulfilling the same purpose as a HESA return.

I really wish the ESFA would talk to the OfS and HESA and make all this easier... 

Mike Smith

Thank you very much for your guidance, and I shall use what you have suggested for the year of study.

I agree, I wish this could be made oh so much simpler!

Ruth Canham-James

Agree with Joanna Barrett, in that OfS only get our R14, so report what year of instance they'll be in on 31 July. It's only OfS interested in this data, ESFA aren't.

How do you create a new enrolment mid year, but still only report one row in your ILR in each year? We'd really struggle to do that in our systems. It also sounds like a whole lot of extra admin. It would make the study year issue easier though!

Getting my head around representing years of instance for HE, in an academic year based ILR, is so difficult.

Mike Smith

I agree with yourself too, Ruth. These years of instance/reporting are pretty complicated, and made even more so by trying to apply this (and the other HE rules) to Level 4 Apprenticeships with zero guidance.

(Edited)

Ruth Canham-James

Ah! If there's no actual L4+ regulated aim involved, you don't need the HE data set. I've had very long discussions with OfS and ESFA auditors about why we aren't going to be returning the HE data set for the L4+ Z00 codes for Standards. We definitely don't add it for the Standard Programme Aim. So when it come to HE data fields, it's not really relevant that they also happen to be apprentices when it comes to the ILR, you treat it the same as classroom delivery. (You do need to report degree apprenticeships separately in the HESES).

(Edited)

Joanna Barrett

FWIW, I heard (very unofficially!) that HESA and the OfS tried to engage with the ESFA around how to report things like this in returns but discussions were 'not forthcoming'...

Ruth Canham-James

Joanna Barrett I was part of a conversation with ESFA, OfS, and another College who delivers HE, and it was really positive and useful. I think OfS realised, after they started auditing Colleges last year (one of which was us), that they weren't really clear what ESFA were collecting, or instructing Colleges to do. They've already improved a lot of the ILR Spec notes, and are planning on expanding on some HE things in the Provider Support Manual. I don't know how that relationship is in general, but I think they're talking more now than in all the 13 years I've worked in FE.

Joanna Barrett

I think they're getting forced together a lot more now, so it's good to hear that there are some meetings happening!  A couple of years back I had some issues about some complicated apprentice subcontracting arrangements and I had to act as a go-between been OfS, HESA and ESFA.  OfS and HESA would talk to each other but I had to be the conduit to the ESFA and back again.  It was very painful.  OTOH, when in HE circles I end up sticking up for the ESFA a lot more!