Collections Definition

DEFINITION

1. Organisations in receipt of LSC funding are required to submit information for the purposes of statistical analysis. This information is held in various collections, the principle being the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

2. Up to and including 2007/2008, the ILR was monitored, collected and processed by the LSC, but from 2008/2009, the Information Authority took responsibility for the ILR and the information collected within it, whilst the Data Service was established to process and disseminate that data.

3. Providers submit data according to the funding stream they are in receipt of as follows:

• Learner Responsive: Collected 5 times each year and is submitted by institutions in receipt of either 16-18 and Adult Learner Responsive funding.
• Employer Responsive: Collected monthly.
• Adult Safeguarded Learning (ASL): Collected 5 times each year.
• European Social Fund (ESF): Submitted by providers in receipt of ESF and not providing data in any other returns. Collected monthly.
• University for Industry (UfI): Collected five times each year and returned only by UfI, not individual hubs.

4. An ILR file contains a header record, a footer record and several physical records, or data sets, for each learner. There are four types of data set. The specification for each data set can be found on the Information Authority website. Previous years' ILR specification are available on the LSC website. The datasets contained within each file are as follows:

• ILR Learner Dataset: There is one Learner Data Set for each learner on a programme. It contains basic information about the learner, for example, their name, date of birth, sex and ethnicity.
• ILR Learning Aim Dataset: Each Learner Data Set is linked to one or more Learning Aim Data Sets, one for each aim the learner is following. For certain types of programme, for example Apprenticeships, the provider is required to fill out a Programme Aim Data Set, which describes the overall programme, and a sub-set relating to each aim within the programme.
• ILR ESF Co-financing Dataset: One is submitted for each eligible aim.
• ILR HE Dataset: One is submitted for each aim recorded as HEFCE funded or indicated as Level 4, Level 5 or HE. It is only required for the Learner Responsive and UfI collections.

5. The data from the ILR collection is converted into a format where it is ready for analysis by The Data Service. The datasets produced are:

• Learner Standard File
• Aims Standard File
• ESF Standard File
• HE Standard File
• Success Rate Files

LINKS

6. The Specification for the 2008/09 ILR can be found on the Information Authority website.

7. Further information on the collections and datasets produced by the LSC can be found on the Datasets page.

Last date modified: 22nd January 2009