Overview
Process automation helps you reduce the amount of administrative effort in managing learners and helps you ensure compliance.
The New RPL tracker process automation automates the tasks associated with applying the correct reductions to price and duration based on the apprentice’s recognised prior learning, so that administrators can submit a compliant and accurate ILR.
Process automations are designed to eliminate the possibility of errors in re-keying and reduce the associated administrative effort in updating the relevant areas of the system. The automation also includes an approval process that involves an administrator reviewing the request. This ensures that you have complete control over changes made to your learners' data.
Configuration
The New RPL tracker process automation can be turned on or off at the tenant level. This provides administrators with complete control over this feature.
By default, this configuration is set to OFF. Administrators with the Manage Tenant Settings permission can navigate to Settings>General to configure their process automation tracker settings. For more information, see: Configure Process Automation settings for your tenant.
Background
The process for adjusting duration of and the total price for the programme has been changed in the 22/23 funding rules.
The new RPL calculation depends on fields we did not hold within Aptem, so we have used the details entered at a programme level as a baseline.
Prior to this functionality, this process had to be done manually, the calculation and administration of this work are significant burden, and we aim to ease this burden as much as possible with this feature.
Overall process
The Initial Assessment and RPL process will proceed as follows:
- The apprentice self serves their skills levels in the skills radar, and submits any supporting evidence such as experience and qualifications.
- The provider reviews the results of the initial assessment. If the apprentice has too much experience, the process ends.
- If the apprentice is deemed to be suitable, then the provider, apprentice and employer meet to validate the initial assessment and agree with regard to the reductions in OtJ hours.
- The learning plan is modified based on the RPL discovered and validated through the initial assessment.
- The RPL tracker is run applying the reductions to the ILR and programme details.
- The compliance documents are created by the provider and signed by the apprentice, employer and provider.
Assumptions/Prerequisites for use
This tracker is being applied to a new start. A new start will be a new programme with an ILR with only one programme aim (type 1). This aim will have one TNP1, and if known - one TNP2. The latest employment record has a date applies that is equal to or earlier than the learning start date on the programme aim.
This tracker is not designed to function where there has been a break in learning, withdrawal and restart, change in programme or change in employer. It should not be used on import programmes that have not had their aims migrated to new programmes.
Note that this Tracker will only be available in Console.
The programme that has been applied to the learner must have:
- Delivery Type Training - Apprenticeship
- Programme practical period length in the Programme Requirements
- A Learning Plan with planned off the job hours stored against learning plan components
- A Financial Record in the ILR token of TNP1
Notes
- This is not an update to the existing RPL tracker, and it does not work based on the skills radar.
- The OtJ hours will only pull from the main programme, and not from any sub-programmes.
- The tracker does not reset any compliance documents and customers will need to do this manually.
- Currently, there is no way to adjust the maximum values stored against the learner. We have a planned enhancement to allow you to update these details - this will be released at a future date.
Workflow
- A tutor or an administrator creates a New RPL calculator tracker from the trackers page or from the users profile. Set the Status as New, and select an assignee from the dropdown list.
For details of the other sections/fields in the tracker form, see: Explanation of fields on the Create Tracker form. - A user with the Process Automation Trackers (pre-authorise) role, typically a line manager, can pre-authorise the request. While this will pre-authorise the request, it won't submit the details for change until it has been processed.
- A user with the Process Automation Trackers (process) role, typically a senior administrator, can then process the request.
- The administrator views the tracker. The administrator can use the Tracker tile and search for the New RPL calculator type. To edit the tracker, the administrator must click Edit.
- At this stage, the status of the tracker is New. The administrator updates the status of the tracker, and sets it to process or rejected, and clicks Save.
- The learner is notified about the approval/rejection of the request. At this stage, the status of the tracker is set to closed.
- If the administrator rejects the request, the learner and tutor will be notified of the rejection and the reason for rejection. This will close the tracker.
- If the administrator approves the request, the process automation makes the following changes:
- Processing Changes in the ILR
- Programme Aim (ZPROG001, Aim type 1)
- Replaces the Learning Planned end date with the Revised Practical Period End Date
- Replaces the Planned hours with Remaining Planned Off the Job Hours
- Replaces the Financial record amount on the Apprenticeship Financial Record with Financial type TNP and Financial code 1 with the Revised Practical Period Price
- All other component aims (Aim type 3)
- If the Learning planned end date of the aim is after the Revised Practical Period End Date, the Learning Planned end date is replaced with the Revised Practical Period End Date.
- Any aims with Learning Planned end date earlier than the Revised Practical Period End Date are not changed.
- Programme Aim (ZPROG001, Aim type 1)
- Processing Changes in Programme details
- Replaces the Practical Period End Date with the Revised Practical Period End Date.
- Checks that the Apprenticeship End Date recalculates using the Revised Practical Period End Date and the assessment period from the programme.
- Processing Changes in the ILR
Explanation of sections/fields on the Create Tracker form
Programme details prior to adjustment
- The practical period planned end date is calculated based on the practical period start date, the duration, and whether the learner is part time. So, the planned end date is based upon the maximum values that are set within the programme.
- The Planned Off the Job Hours is populated from the learning plan of the programme builder.
- The planned duration is the difference between the practical period start date and the practical period planned end date.
- The price for the practical period (TNP1) and Agreed price for the end point assessment (TNP2) is taken from the ILR Template.
Update Values
When data is not found for a particular learner, you can click “Update Values” to update the values. The data will be drawn from the Programme Template in Programme builder currently applied to the learner.
Note that you must update the values in the programme builder before using the update function.
Administrators can also use the "Update Values" button to update the values on an open tracker. The data stored against the Learner ID and Programme ID in the following fields will be replaced:
- Original Planned Off the Job Hours
- Original Planned Duration
- Original Planned Duration Unit
- Original Training Price
- Original Assessment Price
Note that the button will not function if the Tracker is in Rejected or Closed status.
Programme details adjusted through RPL
The Programme details that are adjusted through RPL are displayed in this section for your information. In addition, you have two checkboxes and the Off the Job Hours Removed due to RPL field.
Do not adjust the duration checkbox
I wish to use the funding band maximum checkbox
Off the Job Hours Removed due to RPL field
Final Adjustments to Duration and Price
Component Aims Adjustment behaviour and Documents sections
Explanation of calculations
Remaining Planned Off the Job Hours
- The full value of Original Planned Off The Job Hours is displayed by default, until a value is entered into the 'Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL' field.
- Remaining Planned Off the Job Hours is calculated as the difference between the 'Original Planned Off The Job Hours' and the value entered into 'Original Planned Off The Job Hours'.
Off the Job Hours Reduction
- Will show 0% by default until a value is entered into the 'Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL' field.
- Off the Job Hours Reduction = (Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL / Planned Off the Job Hours) * 100
Suggested Practical Period End Date
- An unadjusted date will show until a value is entered into the 'Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL' field.
- This field will be hide if 'Do not adjust the duration' is checked, and will be displayed when it is unchecked.
- Suggested Practical Period End Date = Practical period start date + ((Practical period planned end date - Practical period start date) * (Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL / Planned Off the Job Hours))
Suggested Practical Period Price
- An unadjusted value will show until a value is entered into the 'Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL' field.
- If 'I wish to use the funding band maximum for this standard' is unchecked:
- Suggested Practical Period Price = Original Training Price - ((Original Training Price + Original Assessment Price) * ((Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL / Planned Off the Job Hours)* 0.5)
- If 'I wish to use the funding band maximum for this standard' is checked:
- Suggested Practical Period Price = Original Training Price - (Funding Band Maximum * ((Volume of OtJ Hours removed Due to RPL / Planned Off the Job Hours)* 0.5)
Revised Practical Period End Date
- If 'Do not adjust the duration' is unchecked, this field defaults to the 'Suggested Practical Period End Date'.
- If 'Do not adjust the duration' is checked, this field defaults to the 'Practical Period Planned End Date'.
Reduction in Planned Duration
- Reduction in Planned Duration = (Revised Practical Period End Date - Practical period start date)/7
Revised Practical Period Price
- Default value from Suggested Practical Period Price.
Reduction in Practical Period Price
- Reduction in Practical Period Price = Original Training Price - Revised Practical Period Price