Compliance in apprenticeship delivery is not a single event – it is a continuous process that runs from the moment a learner is enrolled through to programme completion. Aptem Apprentice provides a structured, configurable set of tools that help training providers meet their funding obligations, maintain a clear audit trail, and manage ILR data accurately at every stage.
Building a compliant onboarding process
Establishing eligibility before a learner starts on programme is one of the most critical compliance requirements in apprenticeship delivery. Aptem Apprentice includes a configurable onboarding wizard that guides learners through a series of steps to capture all required information and generate a signed evidence trail before the funding clock starts.
The ILR step within the onboarding wizard collects the mandatory fields required to create an Individual Learner Record (ILR), including personal information, national insurance number, gender, ethnicity, health and additional support needs, prior attainment, and employment status. A DfE declaration is presented at the bottom of this step for the learner to sign digitally, providing the consent needed to include the data in a funding claim.
An extended ILR step captures additional fields that, while not mandatory, are recognised as supporting the funding claim. These include contact preferences, next of kin, residency eligibility questions, and the ability to upload supporting evidence. Together, the ILR and extended ILR steps populate the ILR compliance document that forms part of the learner’s evidence pack.
Providers can also include a skills radar step in onboarding. This captures the learner’s self-assessed vocational starting point across the knowledge, skills, and behaviours relevant to their standard. The skills radar can be used to identify where recognition of prior learning (RPL) may apply and can be revisited at progress reviews throughout the programme. Employers can also complete their own assessment within a review, giving providers a three-way view of the learner’s starting position.
Functional skills initial assessments can be linked directly to the onboarding wizard via integrations with third-party assessment tools, allowing learners to complete their initial assessment from within Aptem. Providers can also use this step to collect certificates evidencing prior attainment in English or maths. The RPL step connects to the Learning Records Service (LRS) to retrieve the learner’s Unique Learner Number (ULN) and personal learning record, and allows prior learning evidence to be uploaded and reviewed.
Using the eligibility review to confirm programme suitability
Once onboarding is complete, providers can use a structured eligibility review to draw together all of the information collected and confirm that the learner is suitable to start on their delivery programme. The review provides a formal point at which the provider, the learner, and the employer can each record their assessment and agreement.
The eligibility review can include the functional skills assessment step, the PLR step, the skills radar step, and a custom questionnaire step in which providers can record agreements between all three parties. An individual support needs section captures any additional learning requirements and feeds directly into the training plan and compliance documents. Providers can determine from within the review whether the learner is ready to enrol or is not yet eligible for learning.
Where RPL has been identified, providers can apply it through the RPL calculator tracker. This tool calculates the reduction in programme hours, duration, and price based on the changes made in the learning plan, and produces a clear record of what has been agreed. The training plan and off-the-job training calculations update automatically when the tracker is processed, and the documentation is available for the learner and employer to sign.
Completed reviews can be exported as PDFs and form part of the evidence pack for audit. All three parties can sign the review, providing a durable record of the eligibility decision.
Managing ILR data and programme statuses
Aptem Apprentice uses a system of ILR statuses and programme statuses to give providers control over which learner records are included in ILR batch file submissions and to support data quality at every stage of the learner journey.
When a learner completes the ILR step within the onboarding wizard, their ILR record is created with a status of signed. If the record is set up by an administrator instead, it is created with a status of signature required, which excludes it from batch file uploads until an administrator has reviewed and signed off the data. Providers can filter the ILR tile by status to identify records that require attention.
Providers with the ILR QA permission can QA verify ILR episodes once all checks are complete. Where issues are identified, a QA reject action raises an automated tracker, notifies the relevant administrator, and sets the ILR status to pending. This creates an auditable chain of actions from the point the issue is identified to the point it is resolved. Notes can be added directly to any ILR episode to document the reason for a change or exclusion, with each note date-stamped and attributed to the person who added it.
The ILR audit history feature records every change to an ILR episode as a date-stamped XML snapshot, identifying the administrator who made each update. Providers can view and compare snapshots to understand what changed and when, which is particularly useful when reviewing data against DfE DSAT or FRM reports.
Automating change-of-circumstances processes
Changes of circumstance throughout a learner’s apprenticeship – such as a break in learning, a return to learning, a withdrawal, or a change of employer – require a consistent, evidenced process to ensure the ILR and compliance documents are updated correctly. Process automation trackers in Aptem Apprentice provide a standardised workflow for each of these scenarios.
When a tracker is raised, it can be pre-authorised or referred to a management team and then processed by the data team, removing the need for emails and paper forms. The tracker records the full journey from the point of the request to the point the change is applied, and evidence can be uploaded at each stage. Validation warnings fire if inconsistent data is entered, and once processed, the tracker automatically updates all relevant ILR fields and compliance documents.
Withdrawal reasons can be configured to support detailed internal reporting. Providers can create custom withdrawal reasons that map to DfE withdrawal codes, allowing them to report on their own categories while ensuring the correct code is returned in the ILR. Change of employer and change of working conditions trackers can be configured with a threshold percentage to define what constitutes a material change in working hours, with compliance documents updating automatically when that threshold is met.
Supporting end-of-programme compliance
As learners approach the end of their programme, Aptem Apprentice provides process automation to manage the transition to EPA (now apprenticeship assessment) and the final closure of the ILR. The completion of component aim process automation tracker fires automatically when a component aim reaches 100% completion, initiating an approval process and updating both the ILR record and the awarding body qualifications tile.
The gateway review in Aptem Apprentice serves as the formal assessment point before a learner progresses to EPA (now apprenticeship assessment). Providers can design a bespoke gateway review tailored to the criteria of each apprenticeship standard, including custom questionnaires and signature steps for the provider, learner, and employer. Completed reviews can be exported as PDFs and uploaded to the end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) portal, with most major EPAOs accepting this approach provided all required information is included.
The completion of programme process automation tracker can be used to complete the learner’s practical period and move them to EPA (now apprenticeship assessment) stage, and again to close the ILR once the full apprenticeship is complete. This tracker includes a standard approval process and a full audit history.
Dashboards and reporting for compliance oversight
Aptem Apprentice includes a suite of built-in reporting tools to support compliance management across the learner population. Four Power BI dashboards provide visibility into funding compliance data, caseload distribution and ILR statuses, funding values and payment data, and Ofsted and quality review preparation including qualification achievement rate (QAR) performance data.
Live dashboards and consoles allow providers to monitor signatures, manage trackers, and oversee qualification and exam registrations. Custom reports can be built using user generic reporting (UGR) and organisation generic reporting (OGR), and OData export is available for providers who want to build their own dashboards and reports outside of Aptem.
Frequently asked questions
What compliance documents can learners and employers sign within Aptem Apprentice?
The apprenticeship agreement, training plan, ILR, off-the-job declaration, and written agreement can all be signed within Aptem Apprentice. Reviews can also be exported as PDFs and signed by all three parties – provider, learner, and employer – creating a durable record for audit.
How does the skills radar support compliance at the start of programme?
The skills radar captures the learner’s self-assessed starting point against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of their standard. It can be included in both onboarding and the eligibility review, giving providers evidence of the vocational starting point used to determine RPL and plan the delivery programme. Employers can also complete their own assessment, which is recorded separately and visible alongside the learner’s assessment and the provider’s agreed position.
What is the ILR QA permission and why does it matter?
The ILR QA permission is a higher-level access right that allows designated administrators to QA verify ILR episodes and make edits to verified records. Separating this from the standard manage ILR permission means a broader team can input data early in the learner journey, while final verification and submission remain with a smaller team that understands the funding implications of any changes.
How does the force include flag work in ILR batch submissions?
The force include flag ensures that an ILR aim continues to be returned in batch submissions even when there is no live period of learning in the current academic year. This is useful where a withdrawal or completion has taken a learner’s period of learning into a previous academic year after data has already been submitted, preventing continuance issues in DSAT reports. The flag keeps the aim in the submission until the end of the relevant academic year, after which it drops off in line with the ILR specification.
Can Aptem Apprentice support gateway and EPA (now apprenticeship assessment) declaration documents?
Yes. Aptem Apprentice’s review functionality allows providers to create bespoke gateway review forms tailored to the criteria of each apprenticeship standard. These can include signature steps for all three parties and can be exported as PDFs for upload to the EPAO portal. Most major EPAOs accept this approach provided all required information is included in the PDF, though providers should confirm the layout with their EPAO before use.
How does Aptem Apprentice create an audit trail for ILR changes?
The ILR audit history feature records every change to an ILR episode as a date-stamped XML snapshot that identifies the administrator who made each update. Notes can also be added directly to ILR episodes to document the reason for a change. Where a tracker has been used to manage a change, the tracker itself provides a full history of the request, any approvals, and the final action taken.
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