All publicly-funded post-16 training providers in the UK – including FE colleges – must keep individualised learner records (ILR) for each of their learners.
ILR is the central mechanism for funding and audit so it’s essential these records are kept up to date, error-free and are sent to the DfE in good time. Submitting ILR data that is late, inaccurate and incomplete could put your funding in jeopardy.
Given the potential financial risks involved, you would imagine that ILR is at the top of college administrators’ lists of priorities, but providers can and do fall foul of the rules. Wrong and inaccurate ILR submissions can result in the government clawing back funding, sometimes to the tune of six figures.
To stay compliant, on time and avoid mistakes, it’s helpful for providers to understand how ILR works and why it exists.
ILR is the primary data sourced used by the DfE when making payments to providers. It is also required by auditors when reconciling funding against the evidence held by providers at learner level. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that the ILR data reflects not only learner activity, but also the information and evidence held on learners’ files.
Auditors frequently find that ILR entries do not match supporting evidence, with irregularities seen in regard to training plans, apprenticeship agreements, start and end dates and prices. In some cases, planned hours have been incorrectly calculated resulting in the learner being put in the wrong funding band. Where such evidence mismatches occur, funding may be recovered even where learning has taken place.
Any breaks in learning must be recorded as soon as possible as delays can lead to providers overclaiming. Changes to an apprentice’s employment status can also present risks to funding as payments can only be made if the apprentice is employed.
According to assurance work updated by the DfE in April 2025, the same ILR errors continue to appear across apprenticeship providers. These include failure to properly evidence and record off-the-job training (OTJT). Where OTJT requirements are not met or evidenced, the full value of the apprenticeship can be deemed invalid so is ineligible for funding.
Mistakes can also happen where college learners are enrolled on distance learning courses. The DfE’s assurance report found that planned hours on the ILR are not always supported by timetables or attendance evidence, usually leading to funding overclaims for distance learners. There were also instances where providers had claimed for full time funding for learners who had completed their programmes early so had only attended for much shorter time periods.
Good, diligent, FE colleges don’t set out to make these errors. They believe in best practice in everything they do – and that includes completing and submitting their ILR correctly.
But time and work pressures do sometimes result in ILR inaccuracies and late filing – potentially leading to funding claw back, and possible reputational damage.
It doesn’t have to be this way. With Onefile’s ILR Tracker you can confidently and efficiently manage ILR data and claims for all UK funded learning models, including the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), Mayoral Authorities (AEB) and Combined Authorities (AEB).
Fully automated, this sophisticated product’s range of features help you manage your DfE-funded learning programmes, with compliance reporting as standard.
Accuracy is a given. Validation happens as you type. You can pull up learner records instantly with integrated PLR lookup, and auto-fill addresses using the national postcode database, complete with LEP, Local Authority, and county boundaries.
And the ILR Tracker also comes with integrated Funding Information Service (FIS) reports so you can predict funding before you submit. It saves time and money by automating repetitive admin tasks, streamlines submission and ensures that you’re always inspection ready.
Other key benefits and features:
You might think there’s a lot learn about ILR Tracker, given its wealth of advanced features, but don’t worry, our expert team is on hand to guide and support you.
We’ll soon get you and your staff up to speed on how to use it – removing the risk of inaccurate reporting and sparing you from having to return your funding.
For more information on what ILR can do for your college, talk to us today.