Get Ahead of 2026: Simplify Enrolment with Onefile

College staff across the UK will be breathing a huge sigh of relief now that enrolment for courses starting in September 2025 is over for another year. 

Enrolment is one of the busiest times in a training provider’s admin calendar, with many colleges drafting in extra personnel to assist with the process.  

And, of course, enrolling the next intake of students and apprentices follows hot on the heels of A levels, T levels, Highers, Nationals and GCSE results days, which are also pretty full-on for college administrators.  

Preparing for enrolment 2026  

September into October also has a packed schedule, with many colleges and training providers running induction days for new students as well as holding events such as careers and apprenticeship fairs.  

With such a heavy workload, admin staff might not appreciate an early reminder about enrolment just yet, but there’s much to be said for planning ahead.  

Once the dust has settled, it’s worth taking the time to look at what went well during enrolment and what could have been done better.  

England’s growing 16-18 population 

Statistics for enrolment day September 2025 aren’t out yet, but projections show heightened demand for FE places due to a growing 16–18 population in England.  

Between 2018 and 2024, the number of teenagers in this age group grew by 230,000 and forecasts suggest a further increase of 110,000 by 2028, when numbers are expected to peak, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.  

Assuming that many of these young people will opt/have already opted for a college course or apprenticeship when they leave school, that’s quite a lot more learners to enrol. 

Enrolling online with Enrol from Onefile 

Luckily, help is at hand thanks to Onefile’s Enrol which lets applicants enrol online.  

Using Enrol, colleges and other training providers can manage every stage of the enrolment process remotely, saving precious admin time and money while ensuring compliance. It’s the go-to enrolment solution for many admin staff. 

With Enrol you can:   

• Use the form builder to create templates using different field types to build quality forms.  
• Collect compliant data for the DfE (Department for Education) 
• Track which forms are pending, awaiting approval or completed.  
• Build records for all your learners, employers and courses, so enrolment data is easy to navigate and securely stored in one place. Enrol will prompt you to fill in required fields - such as Date of Birth, employer details and unique learner numbers - so everything is complete, correct and easily accessible.  
• Transfer data directly to the Eportfolio. You can instantly convert successful applicants into learners by transferring their records directly to the Eportfolio in one click. Simply select from the centres, classrooms and assessors assigned to you. Data is transferred automatically, saving you time and helping avoid data entry errors. 

While staff involved in enrolment will use Enrol regularly, most college applicants only go through the process once, so Enrol has been designed to make sure everyone finds it user-friendly.  

To complete the enrolment form, applicants and employers simply click the link in their email, then data is automatically sent back to the system for approval.  

As demographic trends suggest, future college enrolments look set to get even busier as more prospective learners apply for FE courses.

Take the legwork out of the process in good time – Book a discovery call and talk to us today about how Enrol can help you.