ILR Management: Troubleshooting guide

Faraaz Mohiuddin

Updated 22 July 2026 08:35

Dates & programme/aim changes
Batch/export, schema & sequencing
Signatures, status & permissions
Fields & data mapping (UKPRN, postcodes, OData, PMR)
Employment & organisation linkages (EDRS/SEM1/UKPRN/employment status)
Planned hours & hours propagation
API behaviour & integrations
Onboarding/extended ILR & compliance docs
Programme/template setup, restarts & duplicates

Dates & programme/aim changes

Can the apprenticeship end date for a learner be manually updated?

No, the apprenticeship end date can't be manually updated. However, you can update the practical period date. Once you amend the practical period date, it pulls through to the apprenticeship end date and applies the necessary changes.

If you want to keep the original practical period date in the ILR, follow the instructions here: How can I amend the planned end date in the Apprenticeship Agreement for overstayers without affecting the ILR?

How can I amend the planned end date in the Apprenticeship Agreement for overstayers without affecting the ILR?

We recommend adjusting the programme end date from the user's profile. On the programme details tab, update the end date, uncheck 'Update ILR with changes', and save (as shown below). Then regenerate a new Apprenticeship Agreement.

Programme details tab with the end date updated and Update ILR with changes unchecked

This ensures no changes are made to the ILR, while updating the programme end date to the date you want, which then appears in the regenerated Apprenticeship Agreement.

I've edited the start date for a programme on the learner's profile, but not all aims are updating in their ILR. Why?

Editing the programme start date updates aims that were added via the programme template, but not aims that were added manually to the learner's ILR.

When 'Update the ILR with changes' is greyed out but showing as selected, will changes to the programme still update the ILR?

Yes, changes to the programme will update the ILR if this option is greyed out but selected.

If you want to align the programme start date with the ILR aim date, you can do this by editing the programme start date in the 'Edit programme details' screen.

The programme start date and ILR aim start date can differ if the ILR aim start date is changed independently of the 'Edit programme details' screen.

Because this change is sensitive, we recommend recording the ILR aim details and reviews after the change, to confirm it has applied only the changes you need.

Why can't I change the 'date employment status applies' field on an ILR?

Check the start date on the main aim of the ILR. You can't set this field to a date after the main aim's start date, because the learner must have started employment before starting the apprenticeship.

Why aren't the start and end dates in the ILR updating when the practical period dates are updated in the programme details for a learner, and the 'Update ILR with changes' box is selected?

Make sure the 'Exclude from batch' option isn't selected in the ILR before you make changes.

Exclude from batch checkbox in the ILR

If this checkbox is selected, the changes don't pull through to the ILR, even if the option was selected as part of the update.

Update ILR with changes option selected alongside Exclude from batch

Batch/export, schema & sequencing

Why is `AimSeqNumber` different between an individual ILR XML and the batch export?

The difference comes down to how the system processes and orders the information in each case.
When you generate an individual ILR XML for a specific episode, the system includes all the aims from that episode and lists them in the order they were originally created. This order is based on their internal ID, not the Learning Start Date.

In a batch export, the system uses a more complex process. It looks at all ILR episodes for the learner, selects only the eligible aims, and groups them together. The order of aims in the batch file depends on how they were selected, which can vary depending on the rules applied. As a result, the sequence of aims may differ from the individual ILR XML.

When exporting an individual batch file and running it through FIS, why do I see an error that says the learner is on the wrong schema?

Individual XML exports automatically use the year from the ILR token at programme level and don't let you select the schema. To avoid this, we recommend using the ILR batch export option instead. Apply additional filters to narrow down the learner, export the batch file, and run it through FIS to check for errors. Make sure you're using the correct XML format for the appropriate submission to avoid schema-related issues.

ILR batch export screen showing schema year and UKPRN filters

Why does a learner's ILR still show in our current batch file when they've completed their learning?

This can happen if the following attributes of the restarted aims differ from the same attributes on the original aims:

Aim type
Programme type
Funding model
Pathway
Framework code
Apprenticeship standard code
Original Learning Start Date of the restart aim, if it doesn't match the Learning Start Date of the original aim

This prevents Aptem from recognising that the learner has had a Break in Learning (BiL), so the BiL aims are returned in the current batch file.

To resolve this, update the details on the restarted aims to match the original.

Why is there a different number of employment records in the 'Export to XML' file and the 'Get ILR batch' file?

If there are two employment status records before the earliest aim start date, only the one closest to the earliest aim start date is included in the batch export. The individual export includes all information from the ILR with no collection requirements, which explains the difference.

For example, in the screenshot below the earliest aim start date is 09/03/2020. The employment status record closest to this date, 08/03/2020, is included in the batch export.

Employment status records before the earliest aim start date Batch export showing the employment status record closest to the earliest aim start date

Why aren't my learners appearing in the batch file?

Check you haven't unticked any filters and are using the correct schema year and UKPRN from the two dropdowns. Aptem automatically pulls in everyone with an active ILR for that schema year, so you only need the additional filters if you want to look at a particular group of learners.
If you're not using the QA-verified process for your ILR, make sure you've included the not-QA-verified learners by selecting the right options in the ILR status field.
Make sure the ILR is fully saved and present in the ILR tile. If you see 'Create ILR' against a learner programme rather than 'Edit ILR', some information is missing, usually on the user tab, that's preventing the ILR from completing.
Make sure the ILR status isn't 'Signature Required' – this means the learner hasn't signed the ILR step in onboarding. You can sign on the learner's behalf from the ILR tile by selecting the pencil next to the 'Signature Required' status.
A 'Pending' status means there's an open ILR tracker raised for this learner.
ILR records that are 'Signed', 'Completed' or 'QA Verified' are included in the batch file if there's an aim that was live in the year the batch relates to, for example a period of learning between 1 August and 31 July in the batch file year.
If you want an ILR aim to appear in a batch file with no active learning in the current year, you can force it to be included by selecting the year from the dropdown for each aim. This may apply if you reported the aim in the current year but later withdrew or completed the learner with an end date in the previous funding year.
If your initial ILR record was created incorrectly, check the aims in the ILR token at programme level and correct them for future learners. Learners already on the programme need to be updated individually.

Note: if a learner is on a break in learning, their ILR record is included in the batch file for two funding years, so you don't need to force this unless the break is over two funding years old. For example, in the 22/23 funding year, breaks from 22/23 and 21/22 are reported automatically.

Where can I view the sequence number?

Sequence numbers are generated automatically by the schema. You can see the aim sequence in the XML export of the ILR. These numbers are dynamic.

Aim sequence numbers shown in the XML export of the ILR

If a learner's programme is stopped and their account is archived, will they still be included in the ILR batch?

Yes, a learner is still included in the ILR batch, even if their programme has been stopped and their account archived. However, excluding a learner's ILR record from the batch would prevent this.

Why does the error 'XML is not well formed' appear when submitting an ILR batch?

This error can appear when there's no employer ERN in the employment status record for a learner. Fix it by adding the ERN, or entering 999999999.

Signatures, status & permissions

I'm unable to edit any fields on an ILR, and the buttons are all greyed out. Why?

If the ILR status is set to 'Completed', the ILR fields aren't editable.

ILR page showing all fields greyed out because the status is Completed

To edit the ILR, select the 'Edit ILR' button at the bottom right of the ILR page.

Edit ILR button at the bottom right of the ILR page

All ILR fields are greyed out for a learner and they can no longer edit their ILR. Why?

Learners can't edit ILR fields once they've signed the declaration.

At this point, only administrators can amend or add details to the Onboarding Wizard via Aptem Classic. So if changes are needed, administrators need to make them on behalf of the learner.

To do this, navigate to the learner's Onboarding Wizard via Aptem Classic using the 'Show wizard' button. From there, you can see the Onboarding Wizard steps and make any changes before selecting 'Finish' at the end.

Why does the ILR show a status of 'Signature Required' for a learner when the ILR compliance document shows as 'Verified'?

The ILR status shows as 'Signature Required' because the learner hasn't signed the ILR declaration in the Onboarding Wizard. Ask the learner to go to their Onboarding Wizard and sign the ILR declaration to update the status.

ILR status showing Signature Required ILR compliance document showing Verified Onboarding Wizard step for signing the ILR declaration

How can I change the status of the ILR to 'Signed' without having the learner sign it?

On the ILR tile, select the pencil icon next to the 'Signature Required' status to sign on behalf of the learner.

Pencil icon next to Signature Required status used to sign on behalf of the learner

Why are learners unable to sign the declaration in the ILR section of the Onboarding Wizard?

This is because the ILR is locked. Make sure the ILR record for this learner hasn't been 'Excluded' from the batch. Check this by opening the learner's ILR and unticking the 'Exclude from batch' option.

What does the 'Complete ILR' button do, and when should I use it?

Use the 'Complete ILR' button when an ILR is in its final status. This lets you filter out 'Complete' ILRs from ones still being worked on.

Other than setting the ILR status to complete, it has no other function.

Why is the status of an ILR record showing as Pending on the ILR tile?

The Pending status means there's an unresolved tracker assigned to this learner. All trackers need to be set to Closed to close it down.

You can see how many unresolved trackers are assigned to the learner in the ILR tile. Select the unresolved tracker to edit it and set the status to Closed. This updates the status of the ILR record.

When does the 'ILR signature' message appear in the ILR section of the Onboarding Wizard instead of letting the learner sign it?

This message can appear in the ILR section of an Onboarding Wizard when the ILR has been imported.

Message shown when the ILR has been imported, preventing the learner from signing

Because of this, an imported learner can't sign their ILR step, even if they move onto another programme in future.

Why is a learner's signature different on the ILR user page from their learner profile?

The signature on a learner's profile is the original one they created when first set up on Aptem. However, if they later change their signature using account settings, this revised signature appears in their ILR.

This signature change doesn't otherwise affect the ILR or the learner in any way.

Why does a learner's Programme Status on their profile not match the status in the ILR tile?

If the programme status on a learner's profile doesn't match the ILR status in the ILR tile, check whether the learner has completed any additional programmes. This makes sure the status in the ILR tile isn't referring to a previous programme. The ILR tile shows the results for each delivery programme a learner has completed.

Note: the programme status on a learner's profile can be amended manually at any time, so it won't necessarily reflect the correct status of their programme.

Fields & data mapping

How do I record a care leaver in the ILR?

Care leaver status is recorded against the main aim in the ILR. To do this:

Navigate to the learner's ILR record.
Open the main aim section.
Locate the Care leaver field.
Select the correct code from the dropdown.
Save the changes before closing the ILR.

Enter the correct code before saving, as incorrect codes can affect funding calculations and reporting.

Care leaver field selected on the main aim of the ILR

What information goes in the Apprenticeship standard code field in the ILR template?

Enter the LARS code for the apprenticeship in this field.

Apprenticeship standard code field in the ILR template

Where can I find the Advanced Learner Loans (ADL1) option in the ILR?

The Advanced Learner Loan (ADL) option is set at learning aim level, not programme level. The ADL checkbox appears when editing a learning aim if the programme type is left blank, or if programme type 24 is selected. If another programme type is selected, the ADL option doesn't appear. You must select this field manually for each relevant learning aim to make sure the ILR is completed correctly.

ADL checkbox visible on a learning aim with programme type left blank

Note: programme type 24 is only valid up to 31 July 2023 and doesn't appear in current ILR specifications.

How is the `AgeAtStart` field calculated?

There's a distinction between a learner's age at the start of their programme (PersonalInformation_AgeAtStart, available in the Users table in OData) and the age shown on the ILR page. These are calculated differently.

ILR page: age on 31 August of the year the programme started

This age is based on the learner's age as of 31 August of the funding year in which their Learning Start Date falls.
The Learning Start Date comes from the ILR aims (specifically, from the most recent programme aim, or, if not available, the most recent non-programme aim).
This calculation isn't directly available in OData and must be calculated manually (see details below):

OData: PersonalInformation_AgeAtStart field (Users table)

This is a simplified calculation of the learner's age based on the current programme's start date (from the Programme details page) and their date of birth.
It doesn't factor in the 31 August cut-off used in ILR calculations.

You can calculate these age values using Power Query in Excel or Power BI:

ILR age can be derived using the fields UserPersonalDetails_Dob and UserILRSummary_ProgrammeStartDate from the OData Users table.
Age at start is already available in the Users table as the field PersonalInformation_AgeAtStart, which is calculated using UserPersonalDetails_Dob and UserProgram_StartDate.

The prior attainment code in a learner's ILR doesn't appear to be reflected correctly in the OData according to the ILR Specification. Why?

Make sure you're checking the OData field UserILRSummary_PriorAttainment2122 for the accurate code.

The UserILRSummary_PriorAttainment field is populated when learners are on an onboarding programme, and uses a different list of codes to the UserILRSummary_PriorAttainment2122 field.

The UserILRSummary_PriorAttainment2122 field is populated once the learner moves to a delivery programme and there's an ILR aim with a funding model of 35, 36, 37, 70, 99 or 81.

Why am I getting an error about a missing prior attainment code when running an ILR batch, even though the code is present for the learner?

This can sometimes happen when the prior attainment date differs from the aim start date.

To resolve this, change the prior attainment date to match the earliest aim start date.

Error message for a missing prior attainment code Prior attainment date field showing a mismatched date

How are the 'Qualification delivery location postcode' and 'Delivery location postcode' fields (ILR aim level) populated?

The Qualification delivery location postcode field is auto-populated with:

The employer address postcode, if selected for the learner.
Otherwise, the employer's primary address postcode.

This field updates automatically whenever the learner's employer address or employer changes. If no organisation is linked to the learner, the field stays empty in the ILR episode until an employer is linked.

Qualification delivery location postcode field populated from the employer address

The Delivery location postcode field is populated with:

The delivery postcode field from the ILR template in the programme build, when the programme is first applied.
If that field is blank in the ILR template, and an administrator saves the learner's ILR from the admin tab, this field is populated with the Qualification delivery location postcode instead.

Delivery location postcode field populated from the ILR template in the programme build

The Qualification delivery location postcode field doesn't populate your XML batch file, so it won't affect your submissions as long as the postcode in the aim is populated correctly.

Why isn't the UKPRN pulling through to the ILR?

The UKPRN field in the ILR is populated from the training organisation linked to the learner. Make sure the learner is linked to a learning provider on the Edit users page, in the Learning provider field shown below.

Also check whether the UKPRN has been populated for this training organisation in the organisation tile. If it's blank, enter the UKPRN and save the organisation's details; this UKPRN then pulls through to the ILR.

A learner's gender isn't appearing in their ILR. As an administrator, why can't I update this?

Add the gender on the Edit user page. This then pulls through to the ILR.

Gender field on the Edit user page

Where do I input PMR records into the ILR?

To input PMR records into the ILR:

Select the Add button next to 'Apprenticeship Financial Records'.
Select 'PMR - payment record' in the Financial Type dropdown.
Enter the other details and select Add.

Why is the delivery postcode not showing correctly for some learners on my ILR batch?

The delivery postcode comes from the aims in the ILR. Update all aims to show the correct postcode and save the ILR.

Delivery postcode field shown across ILR aims

Why is an old qualification aim still showing in the Key Milestones section of the Training Plan, and can it be removed?

The Key Milestones section in the Training Plan is driven by the aims recorded in the learner's ILR. If a qualification is still appearing, the relevant learning aim is still present in the ILR.

There's no option to remove a qualification aim from the Training Plan directly, even if it's been excluded from the ILR batch.

Important: if delivery has taken place or funding has already been claimed against the aim, it should remain in the ILR for compliance and audit purposes. Removing it could have funding implications.

If you think the aim shouldn't be present, contact Aptem support or your compliance team before making any changes to the ILR.

In the ILR, is it possible to sort Apprenticeship Financial Records by date?

You can't order these records by date. They're displayed in the order they were added and saved.

Apprenticeship Financial Records shown in the order they were added

Why is there a discrepancy between UKPRN in the ILR and the learning provider in the Edit users page?

This happens when the ILR and the learner's profile/Edit user page are open in separate tabs. If you update the learning provider on the learner's profile, then switch to the tab with the ILR open and save it directly without refreshing the page, this causes the discrepancy. The Save button in the ILR form keeps the existing data, including the old UKPRN, because the ILR page wasn't refreshed to fetch the latest information. This means the outdated UKPRN gets saved.

To prevent this, refresh the ILR page in Aptem Classic after updating the learning provider on the learner's profile, before selecting Save. This makes sure the latest UKPRN is saved accurately in the ILR.

To fix this for affected learners, update their learning provider from the Edit user page. Assign a different provider first, then go back and assign the intended one. This updates the UKPRN to the correct one in the ILR.

Employment & organisation linkages

After saving changes to a programme, a learner's EDRS/ERN changes to 999999999. Why?

The employment status EDRS/ERN number is designed to match the learner's employer organisation's EDRS/ERN number. Each time you re-save the current programme, the employment status in the ILR automatically syncs with the employer organisation's EDRS/ERN.

The EDRS/ERN number in the ILR also updates if:

The learner's employer organisation is changed.
The EDRS/ERN number for the linked organisation is updated.

To keep the learner's ILR accurate, we recommend making updates through the learner's employer organisation rather than directly on the ILR page. This updates the learner record automatically.

Why does the 'Small Employer (SEM1)' tickbox show up in the employment status section for learners on a delivery programme, but not on an onboarding programme?

Delivery programmes: the 'Small Employer (SEM1)' tickbox is tied to the ILR. It only appears when you apply a programme with at least one aim under funding model 36.

Onboarding programmes: these typically don't involve the ILR, so you won't find the 'Small Employer (SEM1)' tickbox here.

To record a learner's ILR for a small employer, use the dedicated checkbox in the ILR's user tab, in the employment status section.

Small Employer (SEM1) tickbox in the ILR user tab

Should the SME indicator be added for a Bootcamp learner?

No. The SME indicator (SEM1) is only used in apprenticeships under funding model 36. For Bootcamp learners, small or medium employer status is recorded by selecting OET 2 in the employment status record, labelled 'Small or Medium Employer'.

For guidance on Bootcamp-specific indicators, refer to the most recent ILR guidance or contact your DfE representative.

Why isn't the EDRS number pulling through to the ILR from the organisation profile?

Onboarding programmes don't contain any aims, so it's not possible to establish what kind of programme it'll be. This means the EDRS isn't added to employment status at this stage.

Once the learner is enrolled on a delivery programme (with a template applied, creating aims), the system updates employment status with the EDRS/Agreement identifier as needed.

How do I flag non-levy learners?

There's a field in the ILR employment status that identifies small to medium businesses, typically indicating non-levy payers. Tick this checkbox to flag them as non-levy.

Non-levy checkbox in the ILR employment status section

Planned hours & hours propagation

I've updated a learner's planned hours via the learning plan, but the hours haven't pulled through to ILR aims. How do I fix this?

Planned hours only populate the ILR aims when the learner is first enrolled on the programme. After that, this field requires manual input and doesn't update if you amend the planned hours via the learning plan.

Why aren't the planned hours pulling through to the ILR or Training Plan for some learners?

This can happen if the hours were added to the programme after the learners were enrolled.

To fix this for those learners, manually update the ILR to add the planned hours, then update the Training Plan.

Planned hours field updated manually in the ILR

Can I update the planned hours in the programme section and ILR for multiple learners at once?

You can update planned hours using the Upload users function on the Users overview tile, with the 'Planned hours' field shown below. Once uploaded, the planned hours appear in both the ILR and programme sections.

Planned hours field in the Upload users function

Why are my learner's planned learning hours reset?

Why are my learner's hours in 'Planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours' being reset to zero?

Whenever the programme is reapplied, for example when changing the programme dates, the ILR template is taken into account.

This happens when the ILR template hasn't been populated. To stop the hours resetting to 0, make sure the template is completed.

ILR template with planned hours fields left blank

Why are Planned Learning Hours being removed when progressing learners to another sub-programme?

This usually happens because the Planned learning hours and Planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours fields in the sub-programme's ILR template are blank. These fields determine episode hours for learners, and when you progress to a new sub-programme, they replace the existing hours.

Planned learning hours field blank in the sub-programme's ILR template

Keep in mind:

These fields are primarily designed for study programmes rather than apprenticeships.
The hours overwrite the existing values when progressing learners to a new sub-programme.
These hours are linked to a specific year and aren't automatically updated for subsequent years.
As a result, they should be used only once, then manually updated for each year the study programme continues.

If you hit this issue, make sure the ILR template for the new sub-programme has the correct values populated before progressing learners.

Why do I see zero planned hours in the ILR, learning plan or user profile?

There are a couple of reasons this can happen for a user:

Planned hours not added during programme application. Possible reasons:

The planned hours field wasn't filled in the learning plan components of the programme build.
The planned hours field was blank in the ILR template when the learner was enrolled on the programme.
The administrator didn't add hours while applying the programme to the learner.

Normally, the planned hours field is automatically filled based on the total of learning plan components when a programme is applied to a learner. If there are no hours configured in the learning plan components, planned hours will be 0. Planned hours are also pulled from the ILR token if it's filled in, in which case the ILR token's planned hours are used instead of the total from the learning plan. However, administrators can manually change this calculation during programme application to amend or add hours.

Administrator removal of planned hours. It's also possible an administrator removed the planned hours from the learner's ILR after the programme application. To check this, review the learner's ILR history files for any administrator action that removed these hours.

Resolution

To fix this and show the correct planned hours, edit the learner's ILR. Follow these steps:

Open the user's ILR, go to the 'Zprog Aim', and select the edit pencil, as shown below:
Update the planned hours field with the correct hours, as shown below:
Once you've made the changes, select Save to update the ILR.

After saving, the correct planned hours appear in the learner's ILR and the learning plan.

Why aren't Minimum Required Hours included in a learner's ILR?

The minimum required hours shown on the user dashboard are for reference and guidance. Unlike planned hours, they're not included in the ILR.

This is because minimum required hours aren't required for ILR reporting. See the 'ILR Specification' section of the government's submit learner data guidance for details.

API behaviour & integrations

Can I create or manage ILR aims in Aptem via Aptem's REST API endpoints?

You can't create or manage ILR aims using the Aptem REST API, as there are no endpoints for ILR aims.

When a tracker is created via the REST API, why isn't the Notes field populated despite being included in the call?

The Notes field is unique and only available once the tracker has been created. It doesn't repopulate when you reopen the tracker; any previous note is only visible in the tracker's audit history.

The Notes field doesn't retain previously entered information. This is expected behaviour.

Why is a blank employment status record created in a learner's ILR when we update the ILR via API?

Check that you haven't included any employment-related fields with no value defined in your API call.

For example, if you want to update only the niNumber field in the ILR for a learner, include only that field and its value.

Here's an example API call that updates the NI number in the ILR for the learner, but also creates a blank employment status record because the jobTitle field is included with no value defined:

{
  "niNumber": "AB1234567",
  "jobTitle": ""
}

Onboarding/extended ILR & compliance docs

Can the wording on the Onboarding Wizard ILR declaration be customised?

You can't customise or edit the declaration shown on the Onboarding Wizard for the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

This declaration is standardised and provided by the governing authorities. The privacy declaration shown on the Onboarding Wizard comes directly from the UK government's official guidance for submitting learner data, and is updated from the submit learner data guidance.

If this isn't suitable, you can switch to 'Simple Declaration', as shown below:

Option to switch to the Simple Declaration

Why isn't the Extended ILR available to edit in the ILR section for a learner?

Make sure the Extended ILR step is enabled in the Onboarding Wizard for the delivery programme the learner is currently enrolled on:

Extended ILR step enabled in the Onboarding Wizard

Once this step is enabled, you'll see this as an available tab in the learner's ILR:

Extended ILR tab available in the learner's ILR

As an administrator, why does the page scroll up when I try to edit and save changes to the Extended ILR?

This happens because of the questions in the Onboarding Wizard. If you have follow-up questions that only appear based on the answer to a conditional question, make sure these are optional.

For example: "If you are currently studying a qualification, please confirm below which organisation you are studying with and who is funding the qualification?"

The follow-up questions only appear if the question above is answered 'Yes', so they can't be mandatory in all situations. You can amend these questions in the Onboarding Wizard section of the Programme Builder, as shown below:

Follow-up question settings in the Onboarding Wizard section of the Programme Builder

Should the 'ILR and Extended ILR' compliance document update following a change of employer?

In the 'ILR and Extended ILR' compliance document, the 'Employer details' sub-section under the 'Extended ILR' section pulls employer details from the Extended ILR step in the Onboarding Wizard, which the learner entered during onboarding. This doesn't change when the employer details are updated on the Edit user screen.

However, the 'Latest employment status details' sub-section under the 'Individual Learner Record' section updates with the new employer details.

Programme/template setup, restarts & duplicates

We've moved a cohort of learners to a newly cloned programme, and they now have duplicate ILRs. Can we delete the ILR linked to their previous programme?

This can happen when learners are moved to a cloned version of a programme, for example due to changes to planned hours or other configuration issues. Each programme creates its own ILR episode, so learners end up with one for the old programme and one for the new.

Instead of deleting the previous ILR or removing individual aims, we recommend:

Mark the ILR episode from the old programme as 'Excluded'. This keeps the data for reference but makes sure it's not included in future submissions.
When generating the ILR batch XML file, make sure 'Excluded' is not selected in the ILR status filter.

This way, you retain a full audit trail without the previous ILR affecting your current submission.

The ILR token in sub-programmes cannot be disabled, why is this?

The ILR token in sub-programmes can't be disabled. However, if the token is left blank with no fields populated, it won't create any ILR aims when applied to a learner's record.

ILR token left blank in a sub-programme

A learner has been withdrawn and then enrolled onto the same programme. How do we correct the ILR if it has kept the withdrawal details?

The system remembers the learner was previously enrolled on the programme, so it keeps the ILR details from when they withdrew.

You'll need to manually update the ILR with the correct details.

A learner withdrew from a programme (and the ILR was closed), and they now want to restart the same programme. How should I add the learner to the programme?

You have two options for restarting the learner on the programme:

Clone the current programme to create a 'restarted version', then enrol the learner in it. The ILR token in the cloned programme contains the aim references, so a new ILR episode is created when the learner is added. You can then manually adjust the aims to meet the needs of the restart.

Alternatively, you can keep them on the original programme, add return aims to the ILR, and set the programme status back to active.

A learner on a programme has a blank ILR. Why?

The ILR is blank because the ILR template wasn't specified when the learner was enrolled on the programme. The template was only specified later, after the learner was already enrolled.

Specifying the ILR template after some learners are already enrolled doesn't apply the template retroactively. To resolve this, create the aims manually for the learner with the right values in the admin section of the ILR, as shown below.

Aims created manually in the admin section of the ILR

Why isn't ILR information pulling through to the learner's profile?

Check whether the ILR token is enabled by going to the relevant programme on the programmes tile and editing it. The ILR template should be enabled and configured with the correct information. If it isn't enabled, enable it.

If learners are enrolled on a programme but the ILR template hasn't been enabled or configured, you'll need to manually add the ILR information and aims for all learners on that programme. The ILR won't populate if it wasn't enabled before the learners were enrolled.

Some ILRs show the learner destination and progression section at the bottom and others do not. Why is this?

The learner destination and progression section only appears when the ILR contains one or more aims with a Learning start date, or Original learning start date, before 1 August 2024.

This section was removed from the ILR specification from the 2024/25 funding year, so an ILR made up only of aims that start on or after 1 August 2024 will not show it. For the full list of changes, see the DfE 2024 to 2025 ILR summary of changes.

ILR record showing the learner destination and progression section at the bottom of the page

What's the correct way to record Skills Bootcamps in Aptem?

Set funding model 37 and programme type 32 on aims to show the Contract reference number field. Enter the learning start date first, as this is validated against the start date to show the available funding models.

Funding model 37 and programme type 32 set on an aim to show the Contract reference number field

Why can't I create an ILR for a learner?

The system won't let you create an ILR for a user if the user details tab of the ILR hasn't been saved. Normally, the ILR is created either during onboarding by the user, or by the administrator saving the user tab first.

If you can't save the ILR by selecting the Create ILR link in the user profile, select the User tab in the ILR, then select Save. This creates an ILR for the learner by saving all the user and aims details.

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