Section 7. – Skills Programmes Evidence
Resident file and Evidence pack
You must hold evidence to assure the WMCA that you are using WMCA funded programme appropriately. Most evidence will occur naturally from your normal business process.
You must make sure enrolments for WMCA funded AEB, Free courses for jobs (FCFJ) and NSF (Bootcamps) and Multiply, support your decision to claim funding and support the individual’s case for consideration as a resident in England, or any exceptions set out in the Learner Eligibility section.
In line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), you must record in the evidence pack what appropriate documentation you have seen, rather than take photocopies to prove eligibility.
The Resident file will continue to be submitted to the WMCA through the ESFA Hub. The resident file must contain evidence to support the funding you wish to claim from the WMCA.
You must accurately complete all ILR fields as required in the 2022 to 2023 ILR Specification, published by the ESFA, even if they are not required for funding purposes.
Evidence in the evidence pack must assure the WMCA that the learner exists.
The ILR must accurately reflect the learning and support (where applicable) you have identified, planned, and delivered to eligible WMCA residents. You must not report inaccurate information that would result in an inflated claim for funding.
Where your data does not support the funding, you have claimed, WMCA will act to get this corrected and could recover funds you have claimed.
As a condition of funding, all destinations and/or progression details are a mandatory requirement for WMCA residents, this includes Community Learning. Providers must limit ‘unknown’ destination reporting. Destination and progression must be detailed in the defined fields within the ESFA ILR. All resident postcodes must be accurately recorded at the start of an aim.
All self-declarations must confirm the resident’s details and describe what the resident is confirming for requirements set out in this document.
If a resident self-declares prior attainment, you must check this in the personal learning record (PLR) and query any contradictory information with the resident. The PLR will not necessarily override the resident’s self-declaration.
If a resident is self-declaring employment and/or sustainment, additional evidence will need to be retained i.e. wage slip.
The resident must confirm information they provide is correct when it is collected.
If the time spent in learning is short, the level of evidence in the resident file would reflect this.
Where you hold information centrally, you only need to refer to the source.
If applicable, the resident file must confirm the following:
- All information reported to the ESFA for WMCA residents in the ILR and the WMCA Earnings Adjustment Statement (EAS), and if it applies, the supporting evidence for the data you report for each resident
- Your assessment and evidence of eligibility for funding and a record of what evidence the resident has provided
- All initial basic skills and diagnostic assessments undertaken to determine a learner’s requirements
- Information on prior learning that affects the learning or WMCA funding of any of the learning aims or programme
- For ‘personalised learning programmes’, for example, learning not regulated by a qualification, full details of all the aspects of the learning to be carried out, including supporting evidence of the number of planned hours reported in the ILR.
- A description of how you will deliver the learning and skills and how the resident will achieve their outcomes related to further progression e.g., employment, apprenticeship and/or further learning
- The supporting evidence about why you have claimed funding and the level of funding for a resident, including details of any resident or employer contribution
- Support needs identified, including how you will meet these needs and the evidence of that
- Details of any learner or employer contribution
- That learning is taking or has taken, place and attendance/participation records are available
- A resident’s self-declarations as to what state benefits they claim 46.16.12. A resident’s self-declarations on their status relating to gaining a job
All records and evidence of achievement of learning aims or learning programme. This must be available within three months of you reporting it in the ESFA ILR for WMCA residents.
You must keep evidence that the resident is eligible for funding. Where the resident is unemployed, this must include a record of what you have agreed with them, including the relevance of the learning to their employment prospects and the labour market needs.
Where your supply chain delivers any provision to the resident, it must clearly identify who it is. This must match the information reported to us in the ESFA ILR for WMCA residents.