Use this article to search for your error message to find its cause and resolution. Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) and type or paste the message you are seeing.
Each entry follows the same structure: the error message, where it appears, the possible cause, and the resolution. Messages that appear in more than one part of Aptem are listed together first, so check the location to find the one that matches what you were doing. All other messages are grouped by the area of Aptem where they appear:
Please be aware that there may be error messages that are not covered here. If you need help, contact our support team by emailing support@aptem.co.uk or raising a ticket in the Help Centre or use the Aptem Help Centre to search for more information on the feature you’re using.
Error messages that appear in more than one place
Error message: "username or password not recognised"
Location: Aptem login, for organisations with SAML single sign-on (SSO) enabled. (The setting involved is the SAML Unique ID field in the Learner details section.)
Possible cause: The SAML Unique ID field has been left blank. The field has been populated, but the value does not match the user's email address in the SAML identity provider exactly.
Resolution:
Open the user's Learner details section and check the SAML Unique ID field.
Enter the email address that the user is set up with in your SAML identity provider, making sure it matches exactly.
Save the record and ask the user to try signing in again.
Error message: "username or password not recognised"
Location: Aptem login and password reset, for Employer accounts.
Possible cause: The Employer works with more than one training provider and holds separate login details for each Aptem tenant. They are entering the details for a different provider's platform. If the password reset also appears to fail, the email address entered does not match the one held on their account for that provider.
Resolution: Check the Employer is using the login details issued for your organisation's Aptem platform, not those for another provider they work with. For the password reset, confirm the username or email address entered matches the one on their Aptem account exactly, as the reset email is only sent when the address is recognised.
Error message: "This page is lost in space."
Location: Signing a review, as an administrator or employer. The underlying field is Positions on the user's profile.
Possible cause: The user's Positions field contains more than one tag. Only a single job role is supported at the point of signing.
Resolution: Edit the user's profile and remove the additional tags from the Positions field so that only one job role remains. The user can then apply their signature.
Error message: "This page is lost in space."
Location: When trying to access the CV Builder.
Possible cause: The CV Builder requires the Advice token to be enabled on the learner's programme. If this token is disabled, the CV Builder will not load and the error is displayed instead.
Resolution:
Navigate to the Programmes tile.
Locate and open the programme the affected learner is enrolled on.
Scroll down to the Advice token and enable it.
Click Confirm to save your changes.
Ask the learner to refresh their browser and try accessing the CV Builder again.
Note: The Advice token enables access to the Advice Centre, which the CV Builder relies on to function. This token is not enabled by default on all programme types and is not typically included in apprenticeship programme templates.
Error message: "An error occurred while executing the requested action. Try again. If you continue to see an error then contact the Aptem helpline."
Location: Saving a section within a review, or changing a section status from incomplete to complete.
Possible cause: The review type has been deleted from the programme configuration while reviews have already been conducted for active learners enrolled on the programme.
Resolution:
Open Programme Builder for the affected programme and check that every review component refers to a review type that still exists.
Correct any that do not, then save the programme.
Note that removing and re-adding the review type does not fix this, as the existing components stay linked to the deleted one.
Prevention: Do not delete a review type at programme level while reviews have been conducted for active learners. To change a review, create a new review type with a version number instead, for example Tripartite Review v1.1, then v1.2. This keeps a record of changes without breaking existing learner reviews.
Error message: "An error occurred while executing the requested action. Try again. If you continue to see an error, then contact the Aptem helpline."
Location: Programme Builder configuration. Seen when adding a Functional Skills sub-programme, and when enrolling a learner onto a programme. The underlying setting is the Review token.
Possible cause: Review components are included in the learning plan configuration, or reviews have been created and configured on the sub-programme, but the Review token is disabled in Programme Builder.
Resolution:
Open Programme Builder and check whether the Review token is enabled.
If it is disabled, enable it and configure the appropriate review types for the review components in the learning plan configuration.
If the review components were not intended, remove them from the learning plan configuration instead.
If the Review token is already enabled and the message persists, contact the Support team.
Error message: "An error occurred while executing the requested action. Try again. If you continue to see an error then contact the Aptem helpline."
Location: Re-enrolling a withdrawn learner onto their programme. The underlying data is the Episode Hours table on the learner's ILR.
Possible cause: The Episode Hours table has not been generated on the learner's ILR. This happens when the aim dates are invalid, for example a learning start date in the future with an actual end date in the past.
Resolution:
Open the learner's ILR and check whether the Episode Hours table has been generated.
If it is missing, check the aim dates and correct the learning start date so the dates are valid.
This generates the Episode Hours table, after which the learner can be enrolled back onto the programme.
Error message: "An error occurred while executing requested action"
Location: Uploading evidence, where the form includes a date field.
Possible cause: A date has been entered manually in the wrong format. Aptem expects day/month/year (dd/mm/yyyy).
Resolution: Check any dates entered on the form and re-enter them as dd/mm/yyyy, or select the date using the date picker rather than typing it. Then try the upload again.
Signing in, users and groups
Error message: "You have entered an incorrect password too many times. For your protection we have locked your account and sent you an email with a link to reset your password. If you need assistance please contact our support team."
Location: Aptem sign-in.
Possible cause: Too many incorrect password attempts. The account has been locked automatically to protect it.
Resolution: Reset your password to regain access. The lock email contains a reset link. If you no longer have it, follow the steps in How do I reset a forgotten password?
Error message: "Email address has already been registered."
Location: Creating or editing a user. The address does not appear in the Users tab search.
Possible cause: The email address is already in use as another user's login. The Users tab search looks at the email field rather than the login, so an address held only as a login does not appear in those results.
Resolution: Search for the address using the Login field in UGR to find the account holding it. Change that account's username to a different address, which releases the original address for use.
Error message: "Please specify the employer group"
Location: Updating an Employer profile. The underlying field is Employer Groups (M).
Possible cause: The Employer account is not linked to any employer group. The field is mandatory, as each Employer user must be associated with at least one employer.
Resolution:
Assign the Employer account to at least one employer group.
Update the profile again.
Error message: "Learner groups cannot be moved between hierarchies."
Location: When moving a group to a different root group or hierarchy.
Possible cause: Groups cannot be moved between hierarchies. This is by design, and applies even when no learners are associated with the group.
Resolution: If the group is no longer needed in its current position, delete it and create a new group with the same name in the required root group.
APIs, OData and integrations
Error message: "401 Unauthorized Error"
Location: Live Aptem APIs.
Possible cause: The subscription status of the account you are using may be the cause. If the account isn't a "Full User" this will cause the 401 error.
Resolution:
Go to the User tile in Classic.
Change the subscription status to "expired" and "cancelled" and then search.
If you see the account you're using, get in touch with Support to get it back up and running. You can do this by emailing support@aptem.co.uk or raising a ticket in the Help Centre.
Error message: "HTTP Error 503. The service is unavailable."
Location: API calls, either via OData requests or Aptem public API calls.
Possible cause: If a user tries to access the system via an API call while the system is down for maintenance, the server will respond with this error message.
Error message: "We couldn't authenticate with the credentials provided. Please try again."
Location: Connecting to the OData feed, for example via Excel.
Possible cause: There are several reasons why data may not be returned from OData. When connecting via Excel, the OData key may belong to an admin account that hasn't yet been activated, with a subscription status that is still "Invited".
Resolution: Once that account is activated, you can access the OData feed using its API key.
Error message: "Error - User Credentials were Incorrect"
Location: Proficient (formerly epaPRO) integration, when adding programmes to a connection. Settings > Integrations > End-Point Assessment.
Possible cause: The credentials entered for the connection are not correct for the Proficient provider account they relate to.
Resolution:
Sign in to your Proficient provider site directly using the same credentials. If that sign-in also fails, the credentials are the cause.
Re-enter the correct credentials on the connection, refresh your browser, and try again.
Error message: "Invalid Case Owner information"
Location: Creating learners via the API.
Possible cause: No group has been specified in the API request ("groupId":null). Aptem defaults to the root group, and the case owner does not have access to it, so the case owner cannot be allocated to the learner.
Resolution: Specify a group in the API request that the case owner has access to. Alternatively, give the case owner access to the root group so the default works.
Error message: "Ambiguous Case Owner"
Location: Importing learners via CSV file.
Possible cause: The case owner named in the file has more than one Aptem account, so Aptem cannot determine which account to assign the learner to.
Resolution: Identify the duplicate accounts for that case owner. Decide which account should be the active one, then amend or remove the other so only one remains. Run the import again.
Learning Records Service (LRS) and PLR
Error message: "Error WSEC0005: Incorrect Password The Organisation Password is not correct. ********* Please contact administrator."
Location: PLR retrieval via the LRS API connection, used to pull through a learner's prior learning.
Possible cause: The password entered is the LRS website password rather than the API password. The UKPRN or password does not match the details submitted on the LRS application form. The LRS application has not yet been accepted, so the connection cannot work.
Resolution:
Check that the password being used is the API password, not the website password. Confirm the UKPRN and password match those entered on the LRS application form.
Confirm the LRS application has been accepted, because the connection only works after acceptance.
If the issue continues, contact the LRS support team with the details of the error message, as this is an LRS error and they are best placed to help.
Error message: "Error WSEC0006: Not allowed to access the webservice."
Location: When trying to access the PLR.
Possible cause: This is an LRS error message, not an Aptem error message.
Resolution: Please contact the LRS customer service for further assistance.
Error message: "unexpected result occurred" (Please note that this is a generic error message, and the following are possible causes, amongst others.)
Location: Generating a PLR (Personal Learning Record) for a learner, via the LRS integration.
Possible cause: The learner's name contains brackets, for example around a middle name. The system cannot match the learner against the LRS record.
Resolution: Open the learner's record and check the name fields for brackets. Remove the brackets so the name matches the learner's official record, then generate the PLR again.
Error message: "Learner has not opted to share data"
Location: Using Get PLR during onboarding, via the LRS integration.
Possible cause: The learner's LRS record has the data sharing opt-out set. Aptem cannot retrieve PLR data while that option is in place.
Resolution: The learner's agreement is needed before anything is changed. Once they have agreed, sign in to the LRS website, search for the learner using their ULN, and amend the sharing option. Aptem can then pull through the PLR data as normal.
Programme setup and onboarding
Error message: "Multiple standards/frameworks cannot be selected for delivery"
Location: Associating a standard or framework with a programme.
Possible cause: A second standard or framework has been selected. Only one can be associated with a programme.
Resolution: Build a separate programme for each standard or framework.
Error message: "Current Configuration has not been applied"
Location: Adding custom questions to the onboarding token.
Possible cause: The tenant has reached the maximum of 1024 onboarding custom questions. Once that limit is reached, no further custom questions can be added.
Resolution: Contact Aptem Support. They can identify unused or unwanted onboarding questions and remove them, which frees up capacity for new ones.
Error message: "Oops"
Location: At the end of the Onboarding Wizard.
Possible cause: The ILR token is turned off for the current programme, but the ILR compliance document is enabled. The learner never completes the ILR or Extended ILR during onboarding, so there is nothing to populate the document with when it is generated at the end.
Resolution: Either:
Change the compliance document template from ILR Onboarding to None, or
Stop the compliance document being generated at the end of onboarding using the relevant setting in the Onboarding Wizard token.
Reviews
Error message: "Title must be unique"
Location: Creating custom questions in Reviews, including sub-questions under a parent Boolean Case Block question.
Possible cause: Two questions in the same Review section have the same title. Titles must be unique across the section, regardless of whether a question sits inside a Boolean Case Block.
Resolution: Give each question a distinct title. Where the same wording is needed in more than one place, add a prefix to distinguish them.
Error message: "This learning activity does not have a linked review"
Location: Review component in a learner's learning plan.
Possible cause: The review type the component was linked to has been deleted from Programme Builder after the programme was applied. The component remains in the learning plan but the review type it points to no longer exists.
Resolution:
Edit the review component and select an alternative review type that is still available on the programme.
Complete any required sections and save.
Error message: "Error" (Please note that this is a generic error message, and the following are possible causes, amongst others.)
Location: Saving a document or review.
Possible cause: Special characters entered next to each other in a text field cause an internal system error. The most common culprit is the combination /*.
Resolution:
Check every text field in the document or review for special characters entered next to each other, especially
/*.Where the characters need to stay together, insert a space between them, for example
/ *.Save the document or review again.
Characters to check: ! @ # $ % ^ / & * ( ) , . ? " : { } | < >
Error message: "Error" (Please note that this is a generic error message, and the following are possible causes, amongst others.)
Location: Completing a review when the review type has the Learning Plan section enabled. The review PDF fails to generate. The underlying field is Instructions on a learning plan component.
Possible cause: Text was copied or dragged into the component's Instructions field from an external source, such as a web page, Word document or email, and brought hidden formatting with it. That formatting carries into the review document and stops the PDF from generating.
Resolution:
Find the learning plan component whose Instructions content may have come from an external source.
Copy the text from the Instructions field into a Word document. This keeps the visible formatting and strips out the hidden elements.
Delete all the text from the Instructions field.
Drag and drop the cleaned text from the Word document back into the Instructions field.
Save the component configuration.
Return to the review and complete it. The review PDF should now generate.
For learners already affected, apply the fix to one learner first. Then use learning plan synchronisation to carry the change across to the other affected learners. See Learning plan synchronisation.
Prevention: Update the component configuration in Programme Builder so newly enrolled learners don't run into this issue.
Error message: "oops. Something went wrong... sorry an unhandled exception has occurred, and the request was terminated. Please refresh the page. If the error persists, go back."
Location: Signing a review document, in Aptem Classic. The underlying setting is the sections enabled on the review.
Possible cause: This is usually a configuration issue. The review has the Learning Plan and Learning Progress sections enabled, but there is no learning plan component available within the learner's active learning plan.
Resolution:
Check which sections are enabled for the review.
If Learning Plan and Learning Progress are enabled, make sure the learner's active learning plan has at least one learning plan component available.
Try signing the review again.
See also "This page is lost in space." and "An error occurred while executing the requested action" under Error messages that appear in more than one place, which can also appear in reviews.
Enrolment and learner records
Error message: "Planned OTJT hours must be equal to or greater than the minimum OTJ hours"
Location: Enrolling a learner onto a programme. (The underlying field is Apprenticeship Standard Code on the ILR Programme Aim.)
Possible cause: An incorrect LARS code has been entered in the Apprenticeship Standard Code field. The wrong standard is pulling through a different minimum OTJT requirement to the one the planned hours were set against.
Resolution:
Open the learner's ILR and go to the Programme Aim.
Check the code in the Apprenticeship Standard Code field against the correct LARS code for the standard.
If it is wrong, enter the correct code and save the ILR, then enrol the learner.
If the code is correct and the message persists, contact the Support team.
Error message: "This user is included in ILR batch file and can't be archived. If you wish to proceed, please mark the ILR as unfunded."
Location: Archiving a learner account, where the learner appears in an ILR batch file.
Possible cause: The learner's programme has not been ended on their profile. The system still treats them as live, so they remain included in the ILR batch.
Resolution: Open the learner's profile and check the status of their programme. If it is still running, end the programme, then archive the account.
Error message: "Come back on [date] to get started"
Location: Learning plan and dashboard pages of a delivery programme, for a learner enrolled with a future start date.
Possible cause: The learner's start date is in the future. The banner appears once the Onboarding Wizard is complete and any compliance documents have been signed.
Resolution: None required. The banner clears on the start date and does not affect Onboarding Wizard access.
See also "An error occurred while executing the requested action" under Error messages that appear in more than one place, which can appear when re-enrolling a withdrawn learner.
ILR and compliance
Error message: "XML is not well formed"
Location: ILR batch submission, in the ILR export file generated by Aptem. The underlying field is the employer identifier (ERN) on the learner's employment status record.
Possible cause: The employment status record has no ERN, so the field is empty in the generated XML.
Resolution:
Open the learner's employment status record and check the ERN.
Enter the employer's nine-digit ERN from the Employer Data Service. If the employer does not exist on the Employer Data Service, enter 999999999 instead.
Regenerate the ILR file and submit the batch again.
Error message: "missing prior attainment code"
Location: ILR batch run. The underlying fields are the prior attainment date and the aim start date.
Possible cause: The prior attainment date does not match the aim start date, so the prior attainment record is not picked up against the aim. The code is present on the learner but is not read.
Resolution:
Check the prior attainment date against the earliest aim start date on the learner's ILR.
Correct whichever date is wrong so they match, then run the batch again.
Error message: "The learner must not be employed for more than [X] hours per week at the start of the programme"
Location: Learner profile, Programme section. Shown as an eligibility warning.
Possible cause: One of the aims in the learner's ILR has a programme type of traineeship (programme type 24). The 16-hour employment restriction is a traineeship eligibility rule, so the warning appears even though the learner is not on a traineeship.
Resolution:
Open the learner's ILR and check the programme type on each aim.
Correct any aim set to traineeship so it reflects the programme the learner is actually on.
The eligibility warning then clears from the profile.
Error message: "May Not Be Eligible"
Location: Learner profile. Triggered by responses given during onboarding, recorded in the extended ILR.
Possible cause: This can occur when a combination of the learner's extended ILR responses matches a pattern that may indicate an eligibility concern.
Resolution: This warning is informational, and appears to prompt a review of the learner's eligibility against the relevant criteria. You can take action if there is a genuine issue, after reviewing. No system usage or funding claims will be restricted by Aptem based on this warning.
Trackers
Error message: "This tracker type cannot be created for this learner due to the following reasons: All non-generic aims of type 3 have not been closed (actual end date added)."
Location: Creating a Completion of Programme Tracker.
Possible cause: One or more non-generic aims on the learner's ILR are still open. The tracker requires all component learning aims to be closed before it can automate the completion process.
Resolution:
Open the learner's ILR and add an actual end date to every non-generic aim.
Leave the actual end date blank on the programme aim.
The tracker can then be created.
Error message: "This option cannot be selected as the learner already has: Actual off-the-job hours"
Location: Completion of Programme Tracker, when selecting "Complete the learner's practical period". (The underlying field is Actual off-the-job training hours on the ILR programme aim.)
Possible cause: The Actual off-the-job training hours field on the learner's ILR programme aim already holds a value. The Tracker populates that field itself once the practical period aim is approved, so when a value is already present Aptem treats the step as done and blocks the option.
Resolution: Check the Actual off-the-job training hours field on the learner's ILR programme aim and confirm where the existing value came from before changing anything. Clearing the field makes the option available again.
Error message: "The option cannot be selected"
Location: Completion of Programme Tracker, when closing aims and changing programme status after a learner has been moved to Entered EPA status. The underlying fields are completion status and outcome on the programme aim.
Possible cause: The Tracker sets completion status to 1 and outcome to 8 when it is processed. It then looks for that combination before offering the next option. If the completion status has since been changed manually to 2, the combination no longer matches and the option is blocked.
Resolution:
Check the completion status on the learner's programme aim.
If it has been changed to 2, set it back to 1 so it matches the outcome of 8 the Tracker recorded.
The Tracker option then becomes available again. To avoid encountering this issue again in the future, avoid manually updating the completion status.
Error message: "The Achievement Date must be 7 days later than the Learner's Actual End Date"
Location: Submitting a Completion of Programme Tracker.
Possible cause: Fewer than seven days separate the learning actual end date and the achievement date on the programme aim. The period between the two is the assessment period, during which the apprentice undertakes their end-point assessment, and it must be at least seven days.
Resolution:
Check both dates on the learner's ILR programme aim against the learner's actual record. The actual end date is the last day of the practical period, excluding the assessment period. The achievement date is the date the assessment period concluded, whether the outcome was a pass or a fail.
Correct whichever date is wrong, then submit the Tracker again.
Error message: "Last ACT 'Date To' value is going to be populated with value greater than 'Date From'"
Location: Creating a Change of Employer Tracker. The underlying field is the Apprenticeship Contract Type (ACT) record on the learner's latest ILR aim.
Possible cause: The ACT Date From on the learner's latest ILR aim is later than the date entered in the Date changes apply field for the Tracker.
Resolution: Check the ACT Date From on the latest aim in the learner's ILR, and make sure it is earlier than the date entered in the Date changes apply field.
Learning plan and evidence
Error message: "An error has occurred, please contact administrator." (Please note that this is a generic error message, and the following are possible causes, amongst others.)
Location: Saving an action plan.
Possible cause: One of the editable fields in the action plan exceeds the 500-character limit.
Resolution:
Check the editable fields in the action plan and reduce any entry longer than 500 characters.
Save again.
If the error continues and all entries are within the limit, raise a support ticket.
Error message: "File size too large"
Location: Uploading a file within the form of a Digital Learning component, including SCORM-based activities.
Possible cause: Files uploaded within the form are limited to 1 MB. Anything larger is rejected by validation.
Resolution: Reduce the file size before uploading, for example by lowering an image's resolution or compressing a PDF. Alternatively, upload the evidence directly to the component rather than within the form, where a higher limit applies. If the learner is unsure how to proceed, they should contact their tutor or administrator.
See also "An error occurred while executing requested action" under Error messages that appear in more than one place, which can appear when uploading evidence.