GovWire

From 1 April 2024, to keep the offer stable, there will a moratorium on new level 4 to 6 qualifications entering the advanced learner loans offer ahead of the introduction of the lifelong loan entitlement (LLE).

For any new qualification approved between January and April 2024, there will be 2 additional requirements:

• the qualifications purpose and outcome statements must support student progression into employment and higher education and training.
• there is clear employer endorsement for the qualification

Where the qualifications are technical in nature, we will work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to draw on their existing processes for approval and keep these under review.

This means that from January 2024, awarding organisations submitting new qualifications for advanced learner loans approval will need to meet these new criteria. The process for doing this is detailed in Step 2 ofHow to transfer qualifications funded in Advanced Learner Loans.

The same additional criteria will apply to any qualifications in scope to transition to LLE. This means that by 31 March 2024, awarding organisations with qualifications already approved for loans and in scope for transition to the LLE, will need to evidence that their existing advanced learner loans approved qualifications meet these new criteria. The process for doing this is detailed in Step 3 ofHow to transfer qualifications funded in Advanced Learner Loans.

You can ask us to consider adding a qualification in the advanced learner loans offer by completing the level 4 to 6 notification form.

To be approved for loans offer, a qualification must be:

• at least 150 guided learning hours (GLH) in size, as shown in the regulated GLH value in Ofquals register of regulated qualifications we will consider some exceptions to this size threshold
• one of the following qualification types:
  • Access to Higher Education diplomas
  • GCE A levels and AS levels
  • an Ofqual regulated qualification approved by IfATE as a higher technical qualification (HTQ) and available for delivery from September 2022 and not funded through higher education student finance
  • technical qualifications that support clear routes into and through employment, and progression to higher level skills
  • core maths qualifications

From January 2024, a qualification must meet 2 additional requirements:

• the qualifications purpose and outcome statements must support student progression into employment and higher education and training
• there is clear employer endorsement for the qualification

We will automatically approve Access to Higher Education diplomas, GCE A levels, GCE AS levels, core maths and Ofqual regulated approved HTQs for delivery in 2023 to 2024 for the loans offer. You do not need to ask us to approve these qualifications for the loans offer.

During the moratorium, we will only approve a qualification at level 3 in the loans offer if it meets the criteria to be an exemption in the moratorium.

For loans, we define technical qualifications as those that support one of the following learning outcomes:

• progression to and through higher level technical skills in the context of skilled employment, by:
  • having a clear focus on a particular occupational area
  • being clear about how it supports progression into that occupational area through skilled employment, and progression to higher level skills
• direct entry to a specific job role
• continuing professional development in a specific occupation
• upskilling or reskilling in an occupational area

We will consider exceptions to the qualification size threshold of 150 GLH, to include certain qualifications at level 4 to level 6 in the loans offer. To be an exception, a qualification must:

• be at level 4, level 5 or level 6 we will not consider exceptions at level 3 or below
• be between 45 GLH to 149 GLH
• relate to an occupation listed in an occupational map published by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education

The exception qualification must be in a particular occupational area, and support one of the following occupational outcomes:

• it is a particular requirement for a specific occupation
• it supports specialisation or the need to upskill within an established profession
• it meets a specific higher-level skills gap in a named occupational area

You must make sure that your approved centres have the necessary occupational capacity and capability, enough resource, and the assessment experience and expertise to deliver the qualification. They must also have appropriate quality assurance processes and policies in place.

As part of this exception process, we will not normally consider qualifications that are smaller in size, and that share the content of another larger qualification already in the loans offer.

If you want to replace the larger qualification in the offer with a smaller one, you must provide the details of the larger qualificat

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