Glossary
Eligibility
Whether a learner may be funded at all, given their age, residency, circumstances and prior learning.
In full
Eligibility is the first question in any funding decision. It depends on the learner's age (on 31 August in the funding year for 16 to 19 funding and the Adult Skills Fund; on the day they start for apprenticeships), their residency and immigration status, their circumstances and, for some entitlements, their prior attainment.
Eligibility must be established and evidenced before funding is claimed, not established later when the claim is queried.
The rules behind this
Adult Skills Fund eligibility depends on the learner's age, residency and circumstances, and the provider must hold evidence of eligibility before funding is claimed.
Where this comes up
diagnostic
A funded learner has no eligibility evidence on file
Funding has been claimed for the learner, but the college cannot produce the evidence that they were eligible for it. The claim may be entirely correct and still fail, because at audit the evidence is the claim.
scenario
Eligibility was checked but nothing was kept
A sample of adult enrolments shows that eligibility was genuinely established at enrolment and the evidence was handed back.
diagnostic
The Eligibility for enhanced apprenticeship funding is only valid for apprenticeship aims
If the learning aim is not part of a funded apprenticeship programme, then the Eligibility for enhanced apprenticeship funding must not be returned
diagnostic
The Learner FAM Type of Eligibility for 16-19 disadvantage funding must be returned
If the GCSE English qualification grade is 'D' or below or grade '3' or below, then a Learner FAM type of 'Eligibility for 16-19 disadvantage funding' must be returned
diagnostic
The Learner FAM Type of Eligibility for 16-19 disadvantage funding must be returned
If the GCSE maths qualification grade is 'D' or below or grade '3' or below, then a Learner FAM type of 'Eligibility for 16-19 disadvantage funding' must be returned
diagnostic
Traineeship enrolments where previous learning indicates unsuitability or ineligibility
Traineeship enrolments where previous learning indicates unsuitability or ineligibility. Review areas: Appropriateness of enrolment; (report only applicable up to and including 2022/23 funding year).
Sources
These are the official documents this page rests on. Where a figure, a deadline or an exact rule matters, the document is the authority and this page is the explanation.
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