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Enhanced Learning Credits Updated 18 Mar 2007 |
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ELC - A GUIDE FOR SERVING PERSONNEL
Your
Role in ELC | Making a Claim |
Your
Personal Development Plan (PDP) |
Confirmation
of Your Claim | Approved Learning Providers |
• ELC offers you a level of support for your learning, which is not given by many other employers. • In return for this, you are expected to take responsibility for organising your learning. This means that you need to research your chosen Learning Provider thoroughly. You should also be prepared to justify your course and ensure it meets the rules required for it to be eligible for ELC support. • The staff in your Learning Centre can help and advise you as necessary but will expect you to undertake the research and preparation of information in support of your ELC claim. • The authoritative document for ELC is DIN 2007DIN06-38, supplemented by any in-year policy amendments which MOD may see fit to make. These Notes are a guide to ELC. They do not supersede the DIN. The Claim Process • The process for enabling you to make a claim under ELC is on page 17 of DIN 2007DIN06-38. • Check if your chosen Learning Provider is on the database of Approved Learning Providers, held by ELCAS, the MOD’s contractor for central aspects of administration of the ELC scheme. The database of Approved Learning Providers can be found on the ELCAS website: www.enhancedlearningcredits.co.uk • If your provider is not already on the approved list, you should follow the advice given later in these notes. • When you make contact with your learning provider, you should be able to reserve a place on the course with them but do not pay money to them under any circumstances. The whole scheme is based on the MOD funding being promised at the same time as your contribution. Completing the Claim Form • The Claim form is available to down load on the ELCAS website www.enhancedlearningcredits.co.uk • Your claim must be signed by your flt cdr at Part 4 and then by an authorised member of Learning Forces of education staff, who will normally be a member of your RAF Learning Centre, at Part 5. • Your Learning Centre staffs are the only individuals authorised to sign Part 5. ELCAS have been instructed by the MOD not to accept any claim forms which are not on the list of authorised signatures held by them. • Your Learning Centre staff will send your claim form to ELCAS, the MOD’s contractor for central aspects of administration of the ELC scheme. • If education services on your unit are provided by an Army or RN Education Centre/Learning Centre, the staff there will be authorised to countersign and submit your claim. YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP) • You are required to attach a PDP to each ELC Claim Form you submit. • Copies of a suggested PDP and guidance on how to undertake the planning are also available on the website for downloading • You can of course use your own version of a PDP. Learning Centre staff have all been told that this is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the one offered on this website, provided it answers the main questions about your plans:
• The PDP should be a living document which you will want to amend as your plans come to fruition. CONFIRMATION OF YOUR CLAIM - THE CLAIM AUTHORISATION NOTE (CAN) • On receipt of your claim form ELCAS will check your eligibility and record the ELC Claim for their financial processes. They will then send you, via your Learning Centre Staff, a Claim Authorisation Note (CAN). The CAN is the sole authority which tells your learning provider that you are being supported financially and that the MOD will pay its part of the bill. • On receipt of the CAN, you should confirm your course with the provider by sending them the CAN and making arrangements for paying your part of the bill. Approved Learning Provider Database • The ELCAS website www.enhancedlearningcredits.co.uk contains the Database of Approved Learning Providers. Each entry gives brief details of the courses offered by a provider as well as notes on what they can provide to Service personnel. For instance, some providers may not be able to support you overseas, while others may charge exam fees separately from tuition fees. • Such policies do not make providers unsuitable but the notes are there to help you make an informed decision, based on your circumstances and plans. • If your chosen provider is not on the ELCAS Database, you should contact them and ask them to download the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire or PQQ on the ELCAS website. The PQQ is the method by which providers apply to the MOD for Approved Learning Provider status for the ELC scheme. Your provider should complete the questionnaire and submit it to ELCAS in accordance with the instructions on the front cover. • ELCAS will review the PQQ and then contact your provider. Be aware that the whole process of approval could take up to 6 weeks, so you need to stress to your provider that they need to move quickly. • Not all courses offered by Approved Learning Providers will attract ELC support. They must meet the rules drawn up by ELC. See below. WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR COURSES ATTRACTING ELC SUPPORT? • To be eligible for ELC, your claim must meet ALL of the following rules: • Your chosen course must be at Level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework (Level 6 on the Scottish Qualifications Framework). This means that it must be a nationally recognised qualification. Level 3 would include A Levels, Level 3 NVQs and HNCs. • Your Provider must be on the Database of Approved Learning Providers. • You must attach a copy of your PDP when you give the Claim Form to the Learning Centre staff for their signature. Your PDP will not be sent to ELCAS but will be held in your F7269, your personal education record. • Your chosen course must be of “direct benefit to the Service”. See the next section for MOD’s definition of this. WHAT IS DIRECT BENEFIT TO THE SERVICE? • The ELC DIN 2007DIN06-38, paragraph 14a, states that courses of study (learning) undertaken using ELC should be of direct benefit to the Service. This is MOD’s interpretation of Inland Revenue regulations, which do not permit employers to fund training or education that is not related to the work undertaken by their organisation. Should employers do so, there is every possibility that the individuals who receive such funding will be subject to tax and so too will the employer. This principle is already applied to the Standard Learning Credit. • A commonly accepted definition of learning is that it leads to a change in behaviour. ELC is designed to support higher level, larger scale learning. • Direct benefit means that the learning and the change in behaviour should be relevant and applicable to the individual’s role within the Service and that it should be immediate. • Paragraph 21 of the DIN covers the main types of learning permissible under ELC. • 21a-c. Academic study. This encompasses the broader benefits of academic education, which the Service has always endorsed from the instigation of the former Education Allowance. Benefits lie in the intellectual processes (or cognitive skills) which such study brings. These include assimilation and organisation of a depth and detail of knowledge and information, expression in both verbal and written form of such knowledge and problem solving. • 16 d. Professional Self-development. This encompasses many of the intellectual skills outlined above but also includes a depth of practical skills, which are allied to the intellectual skills. They build on, but do not take the place of, the training offered by the Service and apply to the professional role undertaken in the Service by each individual in their specific Branch or Trade. In the RAF such development could include PPS (at present aircrew only), JAR 66 or management NVQs. • 16f Vocational. This is the sole category of courses which attracts the criteria “direct benefit to the Service” a second time in the DIN and this is a result of the great care which has to be taken with courses of this type. In the context of MOD learning credits, vocational relates to jobs or roles associated with the civilian labour market. They are less likely to be of direct benefit to the Service since the Service’s needs are best met by academic study or in the range of professional self development. Vocational courses are more likely to be authorised in the last 2 years of service or when a claimant is no longer in Service. In all cases these qualifications must equate to a Level 3 and above qualification. • You can be classed as a Service Leaver if you have completed the required length of Service and have registered for Resettlement using MOD Form 1173. • Service Leavers do not have to follow a course which is of direct benefit to the Service. • You should ensure that your PDP reflects your Resettlement Plan, which you should have discussed already with your consultant and/or your Regional Resettlement Adviser. WHAT ABOUT CLAIMANTS NO LONGER IN SERVICE? • If you are a Claimant no longer in the Service (CNLIS), you do not have to pursue a course which is of direct benefit to the Service. You may, however, be liable for tax on the ELC grant you receive. Further advice should be sought from the appropriate tax authorities. • Unlike personnel still in the RAF, you should submit your ELC Claim directly to The Learning Credits Administrator, Room 24, Air 22 Training Group Learning Forces, Building 28, Hunter Block, RAF High Wycombe, Naphill, Buckinghamshire, HP14 4UE • When you submit your claim form and PDP, you must also provide the following proof of identity:
• The Learning Forces team at HQ PTC will process your claim in the same manner as the Learning Centre staff on RAF stations. A SUMMARY OF THE RULES - ELC ELIGIBILITY - CATEGORIES CHECKLIST • The table below summarises the different rules as they apply to the different categories of learners.
SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND THE ANSWERS TO THEM. Q. When can I start claiming my ELC? A. If you have registered as a member of the ELC scheme and have been serving since 1 Apr 00 you are eligible to start claiming lower tier funding (up to £1,000 per annum, maximum of three claims) from 1 Apr 04. Q. The DCI states the course must be at Level 3 or above. What does Level 3 mean? A. An A Level or NVQ III are typical examples of Level 3 qualifications. ELC can also be used to fund higher- level study (Level 4 or 5), examples being Open University Diploma/Degree courses. Q. How do I know it the course I want to do is Level 3 or above? A. If the level is not obvious, check with the Learning/Training Provider to confirm the level in writing. Details of most qualifications can be found in the British Qualifications Directory or on the website www.openquals.co.uk Q. Can I use ELC for a Plumbing course? A. Not whilst serving, because it could not be justified as being of benefit to the MoD in your current military role. If you are in your resettlement phase it would be acceptable if it is part of a PDP and Resettlement Plan. It is certainly permissible after you have left the Service. However the course must be Level 3 or above and generally plumbing courses start at Level 1/2 for people with no previous experience. The Training Provider must be on the Approved Training Provider list as shown on the ELCAS website (see above for website address). Q. If I do an Open University module for £450 can I use the rest of my £1000 money later in the same financial year for a different course? A. No, ELC is a “one hit” claim. You must consider carefully that the course you are wishing to pursue in the financial year is the most appropriate one to use ELC for. If the course is a lower cost it may be more appropriate to use Standard Learning Credit (£175 per annum). Q. Can I still use the Standard Learning Credit in the same financial year? A. Yes, if it is not for the same course/module of study. Q. The Training Provider I want to use is already on the Resettlement preferred Training Provider list. Does this mean they do not have to seek a separate approval for ELC? A. No. A number of the resettlement Training Providers offer courses which are below Level 3. They need to apply separately for ELC approved status. Part of the approval process ensures that potential Learning Providers understand the payment mechanism established by the Defence Bills Agency and can work with it. Q. If a company is on the approved Learning Provider list, does it mean I can do any of their courses? A. No, only the courses meeting the criteria in the DIN, including the stipulation that all courses should be at Level 3 and above. Q. If I leave the RAF before 1 Apr 08 and I haven’t used my ELC, will I be able to claim £1000 per year or £2000? A. Your claim entitlement would remain at the £1000 level. You must accumulate 8 years of qualifying service before being eligible to claim the higher tier of ELC. This can only be achieved whilst serving. Q. Can I pay a deposit to secure my place on a course? A. You must not part with any money up front. You need to receive the Claim Authorisation Note from ELCAS, via your Learning Centre staff before paying any money to your provider. Q. I am working in an overseas location that has no Learning Centre anywhere near it. Who can I get to authorise my claim? A. You will need to check who has ‘Parenting Responsibility’ for your unit and contact the Learning Centre staff there. Q. Can I get my line manager to sign my claim? A. No, the Learning Centre staffs are the people responsible for authorising ELC claims. Q. Do I pay up front and claim the money back? A. No, refer to the flow chart on the back of DIM 2007DIN06-38. ELC pays up to 80% of course costs to a maximum of £1000. You are responsible for the balance. (Only after you have a Claim Authorisation Note from ELCAS). Q. What will happen if I get deployed during my course and I can’t continue with it? A. You need to inform ELCAS through your Learning Centre staff. You must get a letter from your flt cdr or line manager explaining why you cannot continue and forward this to ELCAS through your Learning Centre staff at the time of withdrawal. Q. When I want to do a course, do I have to discuss it with my line manager? A. Yes, you need to be supported by your line manager (and family) if undertaking a high level of study. They will be in a good position to know if work commitments are likely to allow that level of study. Q. My location and discharge date have changed since I registered for ELC. Do I need to contact ELCAS to inform them? A. No, they can make changes to your details when you make a claim. Do, however, inform them if you leave the Service and later rejoin. Q. Can I use ELC to pursue a course relating to my secondary duty eg in the coaching and management of sport? A. You can, provided you meet the following conditions:
Q. I have paid for tuition fees for a course, using ELC. I now need to pay for the exam fees for this course. Can I use SLC for this? A. No. The rules are quite clear on this. You can not use ELC and SLC for the same learning purpose, ie the same module or part of a course. Interestingly, some providers working in the same subject areas offer an all-inclusive package of tuition and exam fees. You should ask providers to offer you as complete a package as possible. Q. My provider has told me that he can put all the costs of my 2-year HNC into the one invoice for a single ELC Claim. Is this permissible? A. No. ELC is not to be regarded as an account and so learning should normally be undertaken and completed within a 12 month academic year or period, supported by one payment from the relevant financial period. (NB “normally” is included to take account of genuine operational commitments, which may delay you completing a course you have started). In other words, the principle the MOD is applying is in year funding for in year learning. A course lasting more than 12 months must always be invoiced separately for each year of its duration. Providers are aware of this stipulation from the PQQ, which they completed for Approved Provider status. ELC is designed to support learners and has always been intended to complement SLC. Fundamentally, if a complete course was to attract, say, 2 or 3 SLC claims, then it should attract 2 or 3 ELC claims. |
