This article covers the changes to how ILR hours are recorded and how employment status records work under the 2026/27 schema.
How hours are recorded in 2026/27
The 2026/27 ILR uses a new hours structure to record planned, actual, and recognition of prior learning (RPL) hours. When the 2026/27 schema is active on a programme, the legacy Planned Hours and Actual Hours for Off the Job Training fields are no longer shown on the ILR aim screen. You now enter hours using the fields described below.
Hours entered in earlier academic years remain accessible and are preserved.
Enter delivery hours manually
- Open the learner's ILR.
- Select the relevant aim.
- In the Hours section, select Add hours.
- Select the hours type: planned hours, actual hours, RPL hours, or additional delivery hours.
- Enter the value and select Save. The new hours value appears in the Hours section.
RPL tracker for 2026/27 starts
The RPL tracker for learners starting from 2026/27 has been updated to reflect the new specification. When you process the RPL tracker for a 2026/27 learner, you will see:
- The learner's contracted weekly working hours
- Three options for the new practical period end date: use the suggested date, enter a custom date, or keep the original date
Employment status records and the agreement identifier
The agreement identifier (AgreemId) is now recorded directly on employment status records and is included in the 2026/27 batch export.
How the agreement identifier is populated
When you create a new employment status record, Aptem automatically populates the agreement identifier from the learner's current employer organisation. This value is preserved even if the employer record is later updated.
When you select an organisation on the ILR Learner edit form, Aptem automatically populates the Agreement Identifier and EDRS/ERN (Employer Data Reference System / Employer Reference Number) fields from the organisation's stored values. You can edit these manually if needed.
Contract reference number migration
If a learner had a contract reference number recorded against an FM36 (funding model 36) apprenticeship, Aptem has automatically migrated this to the agreement identifier field on the employment status record. Existing agreement identifier values have not been overwritten.
We recommend checking the migrated values for your learners before generating your first 2026/27 batch file, to confirm they are still correct.
Automatic employment status records from trackers
When you process a change of employer or change of working conditions event using the relevant tracker, Aptem automatically creates a new employment status record linked to the selected organisation.
Generating the batch file
The 2026/27 batch export uses the new hours structure and includes the agreement identifier in the LearnerEmploymentStatus entity. Generate the batch file as normal from the ILR tile once the 2026/27 schema is active.
See: Generate an ILR batch file for upload