Overview
This article provides definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms, and includes references to relevant websites / Help Centre articles.
The Glossary is in tabular form and divided into sections in alphabetic groups. The groups are:
Click on the links above to go to the section you need.
A - D
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Word or Phrase or Abbreviation |
Definition |
Reference |
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AA |
Apprenticeship Agreement |
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ACE Declaration (for apprenticeships) |
Apprenticeship Certificates England; declaration of completions of all training modules. |
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ADM |
Add or Delete or Modify components to individual learning plans. |
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AEB |
Adult Education Budget - The AEB funds the delivery of education and training for learners aged 19+. The purpose of AEB funding is to engage adults and provide the skills and learning needed to progress in work or equip them for an apprenticeship. Employers can access AEB to improve or refresh the skills of their current workforce, and learners can use the AEB to gain new skills to prepare them for the workplace, improve progression opportunities or support a career change. |
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AELP |
Association of Employment and Learning Providers. |
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ALLB |
Advanced Learner Loans Bursary |
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ALS |
Additional Learning Support when a learner needs further training/tutorials to achieve the aim of a training component |
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API |
Application Programming Interface |
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Aptem Restart |
Aptem Restart - provide Universal Credit claimants in England and Wales, who have been out of work for 12 – 18 months, with enhanced support to help them get back into employment. |
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ASB |
Adult Skills Budget |
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BAME |
Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic |
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BEIS |
Business Enterprise Information Services |
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BiL |
Break in Learning - process for a learner to take a break from learning. |
See: |
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BIS |
Business Innovation and Skills |
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BKSB |
The Basic and Key Skills Builder - tests are designed to assess the competence level of a candidate in the areas of English, maths and information and communication technology (ICT) before they move on to taking Functional Skills tests. |
https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/aptitude-tests/test-providers/bksb-tests Passing the exam is a must for placement in courses for potential college students. It is also an essential part of many apprenticeship stages of trades employment. The BKSB Initial Assessment. |
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CAEHRS framework |
Commercial Agreement for Employment and Health Related Services: The CAEHRS framework is the mechanism by which DWP will procure future employment and health support services and will be in place for 5 years. The framework is organised into 7 geographical Lots (North East, North West, Central, Southern, Home Counties and London, Scotland, Wales), and qualifying organisations will compete for future call-off contracts from the framework. |
See: Commercial Agreement for Employment and Health Related Services | ERSA
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CEIAG |
Careers Education Information And Guidance |
See: Careers guidance and access for education and training providers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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CESI |
Centre For Economic And Social Inclusion |
Home - Center Of Employment & Social Information - Legal & Employment Law UK Economic Inclusion CESI. |
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CIPS |
Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply |
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Cohort |
A group of apprentices or trainees who started the same learning programme together / at the same time. |
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Competency |
A competency is a set of demonstrable characteristics and skills that enable and improve the efficiency or performance of a job. In Aptem Training Programmes (Classic) a trainer can add a required competency containing many skills or abilities which can be assessed in a review and recorded using a Red Orange Green (RAG) system. |
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Compliance |
Apprenticeships and Traineeships are funded by the UK Government and to ensure payments to employers, training organisations and apprentices & trainees, compliance to ESFA rules is crucial. |
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Computing Platform |
A platform is a group of technologies that are used as a base upon which other applications, processes or technologies are developed. For example, a laptop with Windows, is a platform comprising the basic hardware (computer) and software (operating system) on which software applications can be run. |
For more information, see: |
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CPA - CONTRACT PACKAGE AREA |
Care Programme Approach - Contract Package Area |
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CPD |
Continuing Professional Development |
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CRM |
Customer / Client Relationship Management |
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CS |
Commitment Statement
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This document outlines how all three parties (the apprentice, employer, and training provider) will support the achievement of the apprenticeship. The document outlines the key milestones of the apprenticeship |
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CSAT |
Customer Satisfaction Score |
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CSR |
Corporate Social Responsibility |
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CWP |
Community Work Programme |
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DAS |
Digital Apprenticeship System |
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Data Consistency |
The concept that data belongs together and describes a specific process at a specific time, meaning that the data is not changed during processing or transfers. Synchronization and other protective measures help to ensure the consistency of data during multi-stage processing. |
For more detail see: |
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DAX code |
DAX stands for Data Analysis Expressions, it is language developed by Microsoft to interact with data in a variety of their platforms like Power BI, PowerPivot and SSAS tabular models. It is designed to be simple and easy to learn while exposing the power and flexibility of tabular models. |
See: QuickStart: Learn DAX Basics in 30 Minutes - Excel (microsoft.com) |
DCFT |
DCFT (the Hub) has been switched off from 1 July 2021. |
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DFE |
Department For Education |
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E - I
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Word or Phrase or Abbreviation |
Definition |
Reference |
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EDRS number |
Employer Data Record Service reference number. The EDRS identifies the site the learner is employed at, but the delivery (training) location may be different. Some employers have more than one location including some that have more than 1000 sites. See also ERN. |
Further education and training providers community - EDRS Numbers https://esfahelp.education.gov.uk/
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EEP |
Employment, Enrichment, Pastoral |
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EEP |
Extended Education (Employment) Programme |
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Extended ILR |
Extended Individual Learner Record. |
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Employer |
An organisation that has apprentices or trainees for whom it wishes to access Government funding through the ESFA. It may have individuals referred to it to provide employment, training or both. |
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ENIC |
UK ENIC is the UK National Information Centre for global qualifications and skills. The UK ENIC Statement of Comparability is an officially recognised document that confirms the recognition of an overseas qualification and its comparable level in the UK, irrespective of it being an academic, vocational or professional award. |
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EPA |
End Point Assessment tests the knowledge, skills and behaviours that an apprentice has gained during training. Unique to each standard, EPA demonstrates the competence in the role of the apprentice . This competence is valued by current and future employers. |
You can find EPA plans on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (the Institute) website. |
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EPAO |
End Point Assessment Organisation: Organisations which can have end point assessors and must be on the EPAO register. |
Register of end-point assessment organisations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
EQUAL LMS |
EQUAL Learning Management System - Can be integrated into Aptem: |
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ERN |
Employer Reference Number - understood to be replacing EDRS during 2021. |
See also EDRS number |
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ERSA |
Employment Related Services: Non-profit Organization Management The voice of Employment Support. ERSA Partnerships and Forums, where organisations collaborate. |
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ESA |
Employment Support Allowance |
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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ESF |
European Social Fund |
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ESFA |
Education & Skills Funding Agency |
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ESFA Audit Requirements |
Education & Skills Funding Agency: The ESFA is accountable for £58 billion of funding for the education and training sector, providing assurance that public funds are properly spent, achieves value for money for the taxpayer and delivers the policies and priorities set by the Secretary of State. (NSF is the National Skills Fund) |
See also Compliance. |
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ESFA Developer Hub |
Central point for developers: The developer hub lets you use the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s APIs for accessing data. |
See: |
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ESFA Help Centre Forum |
Support for Aptem tenants with funding submission issues. |
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ESI |
European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI) Funds Growth Programme in England |
Local Enterprise Partnership Area ESI Funds Sub-Committees - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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ESM type (OET) |
A new code ESM type (OET) will be added to record redundancy along with 6 unassigned codes. (Mike Sims 01/06/2021) |
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ESOL |
English For Speakers Of Other Languages What is the difference between ESL and ESOL?
The ESL designation is specific to teachers who will be teaching in a setting where a student's native language is not English. ESOL is a category that accounts for speakers of multiple languages or who may have already had English education in their native country.
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The term ESL has been replaced by ESOL (English for speakers of other languages). |
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Evidence Pack |
A collection of the essential evidence required by the ESFA rules and must be available to the EFA on demand, without which all funding for a learner may be withdrawn and recovered. |
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EV |
External Verifier |
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Funding Dashboard |
A Business Intelligence Dashboard in Aptem which provides key funding information described in Aptem Help Centre. |
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FE |
Further Education (Colleges) |
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FIS |
A free Funding Information Service for checking errors of the submitted SLD. |
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FRM |
Funding Rules Monitoring reports from the ESFA replacing PDSAT. |
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FS |
Functional Skills |
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Gateway |
Gateway takes place before an EPA can start. The employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to see if they have met the minimum requirements of the apprenticeship set out in the apprenticeship standard, and are ready to take the assessment. |
Apprenticeship gateway and resits for end-point assessment (EPA) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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GLH |
Guided Learner Hours |
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Group |
A Group to which a user should be allocated. Groups can be created specifically by the customer's Administrators with appropriate permissions. In a complex organisation there may be many groups and sub-groups. The collapse all or expand all choices ease your navigation to show just the main group names or the complete hierarchy. |
See also: |
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HESA |
Higher Education Statistical Agency
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Hub (the) |
As part of the planned service improvements to Submit Learner Data (SLD), DCFT (the Hub) was switched off from 1 July 2021. |
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IAG |
Information And Guidance |
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IC |
Implementation Consultant of the Aptem Implementation Team. |
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IEP |
Institute of Employability Professionals: IEP is the only professional membership institute for the employability profession. It represents its members to key influencers and sets the standards for the profession. |
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IES |
Inclusive And Essential Skills |
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IIRSM |
International Institute of Risk and Safety Management IIRSM is a professional membership body that provides recognition, information, support and enhancement for health and safety professionals and specialist members related to the health and safety field. |
Suite 7a Telephone: 020 8741 9100
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ILP |
Individual Learning Plan |
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ILR |
Individual Learner Record. The record of the learning programme and the learner's individual progress. |
See also: What is the individualised learner record (ILR)? – ESFA help centre (education.gov.uk) |
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ILR cohort references |
Individual Learning Record cohort references. A simple definition of cohort in Aptem is this: cohort is used to refer to a group of students, such as one consisting of students who started at the same time, or one of the multiple smaller groups into which a class has been divided. |
Cohort | Definition of Cohort by Merriam-Webster |
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ILR QA |
Quality Assure ILRs. Once QA verified the ILR, other admin who does not have this role cannot change the user’s ILR information |
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ILT |
Information And Learning Technology |
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IQA |
Internal Quality Assurer |
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ITT |
Invitation To Tender |
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IV |
Internal Verifier |
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J - O
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Word or Phrase or Abbreviation |
Definition |
Reference |
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JET |
Joint Education Training
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JETS |
Job Entry Targeted Support (WHP before means?) |
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JISC |
Joint Information Systems Committee |
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Job Finder |
Depending on the sector, those being assisted may be referred to as jobseekers, learners, ... Users in your account can search for these jobs within Job Finder. |
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Jobsearch |
The act of looking for employment, due to unemployment, discontent with a current position, or a desire for a better position. The immediate goal of job seeking is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting hired. The Jobseeker or seeker typically first looks for job vacancies or employment opportunities. |
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Jobseeker |
A person who is actively looking for employment. (Official term related to Jobseeker's Allowance). |
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JSA |
Jobseeker's Allowance: You can apply for ‘new style’ Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) to help you when you’re looking for work. |
Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Getting the most from Aptem A guide for administrators - PDF Free Download (docplayer.net) |
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Kickstart |
Officially opened to applications in September 2020, Kickstart is an employability scheme that provides 6-month placements of 25 hours per week for 16-24-year-olds in receipt of Universal Credit. |
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KPI |
Key Performance Indicator A performance indicator or key performance indicator is a type of performance measurement. KPIs evaluate the success of an organization or of a particular activity in which it engages. |
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L&W (or LWI) |
Learning & Work Institute |
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LARS |
Learner Aims Reference Service The Learning Aims Reference Service (LARS) is a database that holds information about learning aims, their validity and funding data where applicable. It is maintained by the ESFA. Updates to the database are made regularly. It can be downloaded or searched online using the Learning Aims search facility. |
Learning aims reference service (LARS) – ESFA help centre (education.gov.uk) |
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LDR |
Learning Delivery Record |
One LDR for each training Aim containing start & end dates, funding type & outcomes. |
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LEAFEA |
Local Education Authorities Forum For Education Of Adults |
The Local Education Authorities’ Forum for the Education of Adults - Learning and Work Institute |
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Learner Dashboard |
Overview of progress for a registered learner. |
https://support.aptem.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/360021692019-Learner-Dashboard |
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LEP(S) |
Local Enterprise Partnership(s) |
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LMS |
Learning Management System (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc.) |
See also EQUAL LMS |
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LP |
Learning Plan |
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LRN |
Learner Reference Number |
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LRS |
Learning Records Service |
Further education and skills: Learning Records Service - detailed information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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LSR |
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MFA |
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource such as an application, online account, or a VPN. MFA is a core component of a strong identity and access management (IAM) policy. Rather than just asking for a username and password, MFA requires one or more additional verification factors, which decreases the likelihood of a successful cyber-attack. For example, by sending text a code to the user's Mobile 'phone, which the user must enter to a field on screen. |
Configuring MFA on a tenant (zendesk.com)
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MIS |
Management Information System |
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Milestone |
An action or event marking a significant change or stage in development. In a Learning or Action plan, to mark specific points along the timeline. These points may signal anchors such as a phase start and end date, a need for external review or input and budget checks, among others. |
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NAS |
National Apprenticeship Scheme |
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NCFE |
Northern Council For Further Education |
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NCS |
National Careers Service |
Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service |
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NEET |
Not In Education Or Employment |
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NI |
National Insurance Number (to be provided by all Learners). |
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NLM |
National Learner Monitoring |
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NSF |
National Skills Fund (see ESFA). |
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OFQUAL |
Office Of Examinations And Regulation |
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OFSTED |
Office For Standards In Education |
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Onboarding Wizard |
A sequence of steps to follow to join a programme. When complete you may see your Learning Plan, if set up. |
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OTJ Hours (OTJH sometimes in the Classic interface) |
Off The Job Hours: apprentices must spend at least 20% of their working hours completing off-the-job training. |
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P - S
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Word or Phrase or Abbreviation |
Definition |
Reference |
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PDSAT |
Provider Data Self-Assessment Toolkit from the ESFA. Some reports are simply for information, others may require action before any further submissions to EFSA. Now replaced by FRM reports. |
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PED |
Planned End Date |
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PLH |
Planned Learner Hours |
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PLR |
Personal Learning Record (record of learner's previous education / training). If PLR has been enabled by your administrator, you have the option to enter your personal learning details during onboarding. |
Accessing your personal learning record - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) https://support.aptem.co.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/360004998179-Skills-Radar |
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PMLG |
Public Libraries Mobile Group |
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Power BI |
Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence) is a powerful visual reporting tool and is a part of the Office 365 suite. |
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PRN |
(Training) Provider Reference Number |
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PRaP |
Provider Referrals and Payments (PRaP) system for DWP. |
Provider Referrals and Payments (PRaP) system for DWP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
Prior Level of Attainment |
To allow analysis of the level of prior attainment of learners, to help with value-added analysis and to ensure funding and delivery is targeted at key groups. Validation of funding eligibility for Adult Skills and ESFA funded learners. |
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Process Automation(Tracker) |
Check things done in the correct way…workflow (for example, a Break in Learning process. Automatic updates to system. Generate tasks for Admins. Workflows have 1 or 2 stage approval; Approvals are permission based. Creates Audit trail of changes. |
See: |
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Programme Aim |
The overall aim of a learning programme. |
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PSM |
Provider Support Manual provided by the ESFA. |
ESFA - Online Documentation (submit-learner-data.service.gov.uk) |
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QAN |
Qualification Aim Number |
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QA verification |
Verification of the Quality Assurance of an ILR in accordance with the organisation's rules & 'ready' for ESFA submission. QA verification is only available to those with the 'ILR QA' role assigned (normally senior users who may well have final responsibility for compliance & funding). Used to restrict editing of an ILR record following a 'QA Verify' save. |
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RAG |
Rating system of Red, Amber, Green status of participants in a Review process. |
For example, in assessing a Competency. |
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Referrer |
A person or organisation who refers individuals to Employers or Training organisations as possible apprentices or trainees. |
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REST API |
REpresentational State Transfer Representational state transfer (REST) is a software architectural style that was created to guide the design and development of the architecture for the World Wide Web. REST defines a set of constraints for how the architecture of an Internet-scale distributed hypermedia system, such as the Web, should behave. |
Representational state transfer - Wikipedia Build for free | web interface | APIs | Contentful Developer | Contentful
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Restart |
Launched in November 2020, Restart is a £2.9 billion scheme managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that provides up to 12 months of tailored support for people who have been out of work for at least 12 months and may need additional support. |
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ROATP |
Register Of Apprenticeship Training Providers |
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ROI |
Return On Investment |
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ROTO |
Register Of Training Organisations Decommissioning ROTO on 31 July 2021 of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is now replaced by the ESFA. |
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RPL |
Recognition of Prior Learning & Calculator. To calculate a fair estimate of a discount to funding based on the amount of prior learning. For example, if a Learner already knows 80% of the content, the learning provider may only receive 20% of funding but be obliged to provide 100% of training - an expensive proposition for a provider. See also TNP. |
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SaaS |
Software as a Service |
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SAML |
SAML stands for Security Assertion Markup Language. It is an XML-based open-standard for transferring identity data between two parties: an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider (SP). |
See: What is SAML and how does SAML Authentication Work (auth0.com) |
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SAR |
Self Assessment Report |
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SD |
Start Date |
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SFA |
Skills Funding Agency - now superseded by the EFSA |
Skills Funding Assessment |
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SITS |
SITS stands for Strategic Information Technology Systems. |
See: |
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Skills Radar |
(When enabled) Self Assessment against competences; discuss with employer or tutor. |
https://support.aptem.co.uk/hc/en-gb/sections/360004998179-Skills-Radar |
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SLA |
Service Level Agreement |
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SLD |
Submit Learner Data to the Submit Learner Data service of the EFSA. |
See: |
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SMART |
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SME |
Small to Medium Enterprise |
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SMT |
Senior Management Team |
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SRS AD & SRS APITracker |
You can use a custom tracker to trigger the API to the SRS/AD and the SRS can also trigger a tracker to be created in Aptem when a change is made in the SRS. The creation of process automation trackers will not be initially available via the API. Therefore, you will need to use the creation of a custom tracker via the API and manual creation of a process automation tracker to achieve this. |
Student Record System |
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SSA |
Sector Subject Area: SSA’s can be found via https://findalearningaimbeta.fasst.org.uk/ Find the latest information on available Qualifications, Standards, Apprenticeships, T Levels and Units. Standards will show you information on funding, dates and common components. Qualifications and Units show you funding streams for courses and the last date learners can start. Apprenticeships and T Levels show you pathways, dates, and common components. |
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SSO |
Single Sign On |
See also: SAML |
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SSU |
Skills Support for the Unemployed |
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SSW |
Skills Support for the Workforce |
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STEM |
Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths |
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SW2W |
Smarter Way to Work |
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T - Z
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Word or Phrase or Abbreviation |
Definition |
Reference |
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TAS |
The Apprenticeship Service of ESFA. |
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T Levels |
T Levels are the skills equivalent of three A Levels, and they offer a mix of classroom learning and an industry placement of around 45 days. Three T Levels are currently available at selected schools, colleges and other providers in England. A further seven will be available in 2022-3. |
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Tenant |
A tenant is a group of users who share a common access with specific privileges to the software instance. |
See: |
TNP |
Training Price for an apprentice with the important qualifiers below. (TNP 5-10 are not yet assigned). |
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TNP1 |
Total Training Price Total Negotiated Price with discount for prior learning, calculated by using the RPL calculator. |
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TNP2 |
Total Assessment Price |
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TNP3 |
Residual training price (Used in cases where the apprentice changes employer) |
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TNP4 |
Residual assessment price Residual End Point Assessment price (Used in cases where the apprentice changes employer) |
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Trackers(Process Automation) |
Document & manage cases (changes) for a learner's ILR, compliance, training. |
See: Process Automation |
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Training |
An organisation that has apprentices or trainees for whom it wishes to access Government funding through the ESFA. It may have individuals referred to it to provide employment, training or both. |
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UAT |
User Acceptance Testing |
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UGR |
User Generic Report |
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UJS |
Universal Job Search |
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ULN |
Unique Learner Number - the unique reference to an individual learner and the related Individual Learning Record (ILR). |
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User |
A person using the tenant Aptem system with the roles and permissions provided. |
Note An organisation which is an employer will have an Employer Organisation account and one or more of its staff categories may be an Employer user. |
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UVAC |
University Vocational Awards Council – essentially the University equivalent of the ESFA |
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VLE |
VLE normally means 'Virtual Learning Environment' but the VLE tile in Aptem has now been deprecated. |
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Work Coach |
As a Department of Work and Pensions Work Coach you hold a vital role in the Department, helping individuals and their families towards financial independence through work and enabling them to claim the support they need as they progress. Work Coaches are customer-focused, dedicated individuals and able to deliver exceptional service with empathy and compassion to people who need their support. As a Work Coach, you will use sound judgement to help people through some difficult, challenging times in their lives, and your tailored coaching can make a huge difference to their ability to find, stay in, and progress in a job. |
The Role - About The Role - DWP Work Coach Microsite (dwpjobs-workcoach-microsite.co.uk) FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions. - DWP Work Coach Microsite (dwpjobs-workcoach-microsite.co.uk) |
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Workflow |
The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.
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XML |
Extensible Markup Language - the format used to present the ILR file to ESFA. There are strict rules on the structure which, if not adhered to, will most likely cause EFSA funding to be withheld.
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For a list of acronyms commonly used in the education/employability sector, you can also refer to the following attachment.