Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 4 August 2021

Updated 4 August 2021

This correspondence was withdrawn on 23 December 2022

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Department for Education has published guidance about COVID-19 in educational settings for staff, parents and carers, pupils and students on GOV.UK.

Please check GOV.UK regularly for updates.

2. Reminder: consultation on the National Skills Fund

We have launched a consultation on the National Skills Fund. National Skills Fund investment is supporting thousands of adults to upskill and retrain through Skills Bootcamps, and provides access to almost 400 free courses through Free Courses for Jobs. The consultation is live until 17 September 2021, and we encourage you to engage with the consultation by responding online or attending an online consultation feedback event scheduled on 10 August 2021.

If you are delivering free level 3 courses or Skills Bootcamps for adults, could you also let adult participants know about the consultation? If possible, we would also like to receive some responses from adults who are participating in free level 3 courses or Skills Bootcamps.

We are also running a consultation feedback event for adults on 11 August 2021.

3. Reminder: updates to the apprenticeship service

We’re making changes to ensure the apprenticeship service meets your needs.   

Here’s a summary of the areas which we’re updating over the coming months – more details are outlined below:  

• Find employers that need a training provider – updates now live 
• Transfers of levy funds to pay for apprenticeships – updates coming soon 
• Onboarding apprentices – updates coming soon 

4. Reminder: traineeships – updating work experience placements on the ILR

Please ensure that the ILR is updated for any work experience placements that have been completed on or before 31 July 2021.

Please check that you have completed the employer details including the work placement postcode and the start and end date of the work placement.

Please support your employers to submit a timely claim for any incentives that apply to placement activity that takes place and is completed between 1 September 2020 and 31 July 2021.

5. Your feedback: we want to hear from employers

The ESFA customer experience team are conducting research sessions with employers. The aim of the research is to make it easier for employers to find the skills training they need. If you’d like to be involved or need any further information, email Customer.EXPERIENCE@service.education.gov.uk.

Please encourage employers or organisations that you work with to volunteer.

6. Your feedback: personal information request process

We are currently reviewing how personal information can be requested from the organisation.

Our user research team would like to speak with education and training providers about the process to request personal information from the Department for Education, Education & Skills Funding Agency, Standards & Testing Agency, and the Teaching Regulation Agency. You will be asked to provide feedback on a prototype:

• research sessions will take place between 4 to 20 August 2021
• each session will be conducted over Microsoft Teams and will last up to 45 minutes
• all responses will be anonymised

Please register your interest by 13 August 2021 and a researcher will be in touch with more information.

7. Information: hospitality and catering qualifications for the Lifetime Skills Guarantee Level 3 offer

To address the increasing skills needs of the hospitality and catering sector we have expanded the Free Courses for Jobs offer to provide learners with access to courses in hospitality and catering. The offer will also continue to provide eligible learners assistance with the cost of childcare, travel and other costs.

As part of the government’s Plan for Jobs, adults can access a level 3 course for free through the Free Courses for Jobs offer, an investment through the National Skills Fund.

If learners are 19 or over and do not already have a level 3 qualification (equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels) or higher, they can access a free qualification. Some of these qualifications are available to study online or part-time.

8. Information: Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) market entry exceptions process for critical worker – linked provision closes on 15 August 2021

At present, the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (Register) is open only to providers that meet the critical worker-linked eligibility criteria. We have previously signalled that we will keep this approach to targeted entry to the Register under review during the pandemic and include any changes to the definition of, or focus on, ‘critical workers’ if they arise.

As COVID-19 restrictions have now been lifted, the market entry process for critical worker-linked provisions will cease for all new applications on 15 August 2021. If you have been successful in proving you meet the critical worker-linked eligibility criteria prior to that date and have been given an application deadline to submit your full application that is later than 15 August 2021, that later deadline remains in place.

From 16 August 2021, the Register will be open only to new providers that are able to fulfil a gap in provision identified by unmet employer demand. Full details on this new process will be shared on GOV.UK from 16 August 2021.

9. Information: 2020 to 2021 R11 in-year qualification achievement rate

Following feedback on the release of the in-year R10 qualification achievement rate (QAR) data, we have shared a new version of the dashboard based on R11 data.

This resolves the labelling issue identified on the apprenticeship tab but also includes:

• applying an updated list from Ofqual’s Summer 2021 Qualification Explainer Tool. Information on qualification categorisation to be included in the QARs can be found in ESFA Update: 9 June 2021 or in the Education and Training QAR technical specification 2020 to 2021.The QAR calculations apply the categorisation at qualification level not at individual learner/aim level.
• correction to an error in the in-year R10 data resulting in withdrawals for standards being marked up with the incorrect hybrid end year.

If you have any queries, please contact us via our online enquiry form. If the enquiry relates to specific learner queries, please also complete and submit the data query form.

10. Information: 2021 to 2022 individualised learner record (ILR) funding returns guide published

We have published the 2021 to 2022 ILR funding returns guide. This guidance explains the final ILR funding claim for young people and how it should be returned to ESFA.

We have set out some small changes to responsive growth and for this funding year, all responsive growth including traineeship growth will be paid on the same profile.

11. Information: update to 2021 to 2022 funding regulations guidance

We have published version 1.2 of the 2021 to 2022 funding regulations guidance for young people.

We have made the following additions and updates:

• updated student eligibility advice for EU and EEA students
• updated our advice on repeat year funding
• included advice on our specific subcontracting restrictions for 16 to 19 delivery

12. Information: apprenticeships funding rules 2021 to 2022, version 1

We have published the apprenticeship funding rules 2021 to 2022 (version 1).

The changes we have made are detailed in the summary of changes which can be found on the apprenticeship funding rules page on GOV.UK.

12.1 Learning Support funding

We received significant feedback about the changes we had proposed to the Learning Support section of the rules and accepted that there were further changes we needed to make for Version 1. Following consultation with provider representatives and other stakeholders, we have substantially amended this section and encourage providers to familiarise themselves with the new rules.

13. Information: find employers that need a training provider – updates now live 

  You can now review a list of employers who cannot find a provider offering the apprenticeship training they need. If you are interested in supporting one or more of these employers, you can share your details so they can get in touch with you. 

Since launch, many employers have registered their training needs and we are encouraging providers to respond quickly.   

To review employer demand, sign in to your account and select ‘Find employers that need a training provider’ on the home page.  

14. Information: transfers of levy funds to pay for apprenticeships – updates coming soon 

  Employers who pay the apprenticeship levy (those with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million) will be able to pledge unspent levy funds (up to their 25% transfer allowance) to support apprenticeships in other businesses.    All businesses will be able to see these transfer opportunities on GOV.UK and employers will be able to apply for funding to pay for 100% of their apprenticeship training and assessment costs (up to the funding band maximum). 

15. Information: onboarding apprentices – updates coming soon 

  New apprentices added to the apprenticeship service will receive an email, asking them to create an account for the new ‘Confirm my apprenticeship details’ service, where they will be able to review and confirm the details of their apprenticeship. Apprentices will be able to refer to these details during their apprenticeship and also access guidance on what is expected of them, their employer and you as their provider. 

If apprentices do not confirm their details or access the guidance, this will not impact them starting their apprenticeship or funding being received. As part of onboarding apprentices, you should encourage them to complete this task, as it will help to make their apprenticeship a quality experience. 

You should now begin collecting a unique email address for each future apprentice, ready for the launch of this service. 

16. Information: new Apprenticeship Service webinars from August 2021

We are pleased to announce the Apprenticeship Service is holding several webinars from August aimed at employers, training providers, employer-providers, intermediaries, end-point assessment organisations and any organisations/individuals with an interest in the apprenticeship service.

All webinars are hosted by subject matter experts to help service users to understand more about the apprenticeship service and the apprenticeship programme.

Webinars will include:

• Intermediaries: A new service that supports levy transfers
• Employers that pay the apprenticeship levy: A new service that supports levy transfers
• Employers: A new service that supports levy transfers
• Employers : 2021 to 2022 Funding rules
• Training providers/employer providers: What’s involved in an assurance review (audit) and how can you be prepared
• Training providers/employer providers: Understanding the individualised learner record (ILR) and data in the apprenticeship service

You can sign up now.

You can watch all apprenticeship service webinar recordings on our YouTube channel.

17. Information: checklist to share with employers – 7 steps to hiring an apprentice

As you know, summer is a crucial time in the apprenticeship recruitment calendar. With A Level and GCSE results days taking place next week, many school and college leavers are starting to think about their career options.

You can help play a key role in ensuring smaller employers who don’t pay the apprenticeship levy are ready to make the most of this opportunity and take on apprentices using the apprenticeship service, perhaps for the first time.

To support you, we’ve created a checklist for you to share with employers:

• download our checklist
• view an accessible version of our checklist

18. Information: Apprenticeships Workforce Development (AWD): supplier market engagement events

We would like to draw your attention to a Prior Information Notice that has been published on our commercial websites.

The ESFA is running two market engagement events to explore commercial options to design and deliver a new Apprenticeships Workforce Development (AWD) package. This package, announced in the January 2021 White paper, Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth, will support the professional development of training providers and employers delivering apprenticeships.

The ESFA is also keen to ensure that providers and employers are well-equipped to meet the needs of apprentices with learning difficulties and disabled apprentices from application to end point assessment, and is inviting organisations with expertise in this area to join the events.

The events will take place via Microsoft Teams and through these events we hope to gauge interest and to gather feedback to assist our procurement approach:

• 11am to 12pm on Tuesday 10 August 2021
• 12 to 1pm on Wednesday 18 August 2021

For further information, including on how to join the events, please visit Contracts Finder.

19. Information: claiming learner support for procured adult education budget (AEB) and 19 to 24 traineeships

As published in the AEB funding and performance management rules 2021 to 2022 from 1 August 2021, the claim process for learning support has changed for the following funding streams:

• learner support for ESFA AEB procured (adult skills)
• learner support for ESFA 19 to 24 traineeships contract for services (2020 procurement)

You must claim the support through the earnings adjustment statement (EAS). We will pay learner support based on your actual delivery using the latest validated EAS data you provide.

Your funding agreement will show learner support as a separate value, however it forms part of your overall ESFA funded AEB contract for service and we will not manage it separately. We will monitor the amount of funding you spend on support costs and may request additional evidence.

If you have any queries, please contact the Service Desk or your Territorial team.