LRS Customer Helpdesk answers to frequently asked questions

The LRS Customer Helpdesk has compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions below:

1. What services do we offer?

2. Who is implementing and leading the Learning Records Service?

3. What progress has been made so far?

4. Is this a service to gather information on people?

5. What is the Unique Learner Number (ULN)?

6. What is a Personal Learning Record?

7. Will learners be able to choose what data to share in their Personal Learning Record or even opt out altogether?

8. How is the service ensuring security and protection against identity theft?

10. Why and how do we have to verify a learner’s identity?

11.  I have lost my Super User details. What do I do to get access again?

12.  We would like to try and match by National Insurance Number, can this be included in the service?

13.  My learners do not understand what a ULN is. Do you have any information on the use of the ULN and what it means to learners?

14.  We are not sure what the role of the Awarding Bodies and Awarding Organisations is in terms of verifying the ULN, is their further information available?

15.  Where can I get further information on creating and updating ULNs and how to rectify error exceptions?


1. What services does the Learning Records Service offer?

We simplify the way that information about learners and education and training organisations is collected, handled and shared. Services include:

The Learning Provider Register (formerly called the UKRLP), containing details of individual learning and training organisations in the UK and the services they offer to learners and employers.

The Learner Register (formerly called Learner Registration Service) incorporating a Unique Learner Number for every person over the age of 14 in education and training in the UK. This service enables individuals to access a lifelong Personal Learning Record of their learning participation and achievements, which they can securely share with learning providers and potential employers.

The Personal Learning Record will enable learners to view information about their learning and achievement, and share this with learning providers and employers, should they wish to do so.

2. Who is implementing and leading the Learning Records Service?

3. What has been the progress so far?

Significant progress has already been achieved:

4. Is this another service to gather information on people?

No, the service does not collect any new information. All our free products, functions and tools have been designed to streamline and simplify how information on learning and achievement is collected, handled and shared. For the first time, individuals will be given access to information that has already been collected on them and will be able to challenge it if factually incorrect.

5. What is the Unique Learner Number (ULN)?

The ULN is a random 10-digit number that allows students over the age of 14 to build a lifelong record of their qualifications, awards, training and learning participation and achievements, which they can access securely and choose to share if they wish to. It will not provide access to any details relating to exclusions or expulsions or mitigating circumstances regarding a grade or period of study.

Unlike the English Unique Pupil Number system which cannot be used beyond school age, the Unique Learner Number (ULN) will stay with learners throughout their life, easing transition from school into further education and/or higher education. The use of the ULN as a single candidate number will also reduce  administrative burden and costs for schools and colleges, for example when it comes to organising examinations or sharing achievement/award information with other educational establishments including UCAS and most universities.

6. What is a Personal Learning Record?

The Personal Learning Record is an individual's official online record of verified learning and qualifications undertaken at school, college or work. It is an aggregation of an individual’s learning and achievement records that have already been collected by UK education bodies. Pupils, students and learners will be able to view their Personal Learning Record and decide who else can see their record or parts of it once they have provided proof of identify to gain access to it. They will also be able to challenge errors in the record. Records date back to the 07/08 academic year only and do not include subjects taken at university.

7. Will learners be able to choose what data to share in their Personal Learning Record or even opt out altogether?

Yes. Learners themselves will be able to decide who can access their Personal Learning Record, ensuring that every student can maintain their privacy and enjoy a sense of ownership and responsibility. Two distinct views of the Personal Learning Record will be provided. The learner will be presented with both the full record and the restricted view to ensure they are clearly aware of what other users will see. The restricted view will be available to organisations the learner nominates (such as potential employers). This restricted view will only display achievements the learner chooses and it will be limited to show only basic details.
 
Learners can also choose to opt out of having data about their participation and achievement shared completely, usually when they are enrolling. Organisations have a responsibility to give learners the option to opt out. However, the ULN is now part of many qualifications (such as the Diploma and QCF), so opting out may restrict the administration of these qualifications.

8. How is the Learning Records Service ensuring security and protection against identity theft?

Many different products and services were considered in the creation of  our services. Discussions were undertaken with the Inland Revenue, JISC, the NHS and others regarding their experience of identity management. The Unique Learner Number was considered the most appropriate course of action for the learner and in relation to the appropriate use and sharing of the learner information. 

The Service has put in place a requirement for learners to prove their identity prior to being given access to their Personal Learning Record. This proof will require more than just knowing a learner’s personal details. 

The Service will only supply data information to organisations that have signed a data sharing agreement. These organisations are defined by the Data Sharing Framework  which lists the potential types of organisation that can access data. Organisations on the framework will need to make a case to the Learning Records Service for access to the data, setting out the use and governance of the data within their programme. These will need to be approved by the Service before data is released. 

All data within the Learning Records Service and data sharing partners must be governed according to UK or EU law on privacy and data sharing. Personal data will not be transferred to organisations (including other government departments and agencies) without a learner’s consent. Data will only be shared through secure data transfer and no CDs, memory sticks or other portable storage devices will be used. All information is accessed and shared electronically through a single internet site, secured by a high level security perimeter, encryption and log in process. As a result, audit trails and log-ins can be recorded. 

Learners will have access to audit logs of who has accessed their records and when.

Service security is governed by an independent Security Forum, which has the power to stop changes to services if it suspects security loopholes.

9. What are Privacy Notices and Fair Processing Notices (PNs/FPNs)?

Privacy Notices are also known as Fair Processing Notices. These are the mechanism by which individuals are informed about what will happen to data collected about them and how that data will be processed and shared.

Individual organisations need to show a learner the PN or FPN as part of the enrolment/examination process. Providers using Learning Records Service products and functions need to ensure that their PN or FPN includes references to the Learning Records Service. Standard texts are available for you to use.

10. Why and how do we have to verify a learner’s identity?

This is an important part of the process for a learner accessing their Personal Learning Record. Without verification of a learner’s identity a learner will not be able access their Personal Learning Record. Where possible, the student’s identity should be verified but this should not prevent enrolment. There is a document entitled Verification Guidelines which provides further details and lists the options offered within Learner Register. Whether or not the learner’s identity has been verified, the appropriate code has to be used in the mandatory field “Verification Type” on the batch file.The codes can be found on the Interface Guide, which forms part of the Batch Toolkit and can be found on the website under Resources.

11.  I have lost my Super User details. What do I do to gain access again?  

We recommend that you set up at least two addtional Super Users in case of loss, absence or any other reason.  If you failed to set up additional Super Users and have lost all access to administer your users then please ask a senior representative of your organisation to complete the new Super User Form and send this to the LRS Customer Helpdesk.

12.  We would like to try and match by National Insurance Number, can this be included in the service?

We cannot include the National Insurance Number in the fields for the Learner Register. When the Learner Register was first set up, a focus group of learners advised us of their own preferences and they identified that it was not appropriate for the National Insurance number included as a search field or parameter. They felt using the National Insurance number could be used to track learners through their learning and working life. The purpose of the ULN is for lifelong learning only. Also the sole purpose for the National Insurance Number is for use by the Department of Work and Pensions and cannot be used by the Learning Records Service as an identifier.

13.  My learners do not understand what a ULN is. Do you have any information on the use of the ULN and what it means to learners?

Further information can be accessed on the website and a fact sheet for pupils is also available at: http://www.learningrecordsservice.org.uk/learnparent/. We are currently reviewing the information and communications for Pupils, Learners and Parents and further information and guidance will be available in September.

14.  We are not sure what the role of the Awarding Bodies and Awarding Organisations is in terms of verifying the ULN, is their further information available?

From September 2010 Awarding Bodies and Organisations will be asking you to provide ULNs for your Learners when they are being registered as a candidate and entered for an exam or qualification. This is to ensure that learning information and award data, especially for QCF qualifications can be uploaded and easily matched to the correct Personal Learning Record. Awarding Bodies will be verifying the ULN with the following demographics: ULN, given name and family name. If an Awarding Body cannot verify the ULN they may need to contact you directly to double check the demographics of a learner.

15.  Where can I get further information on creating and updating ULNs and how to rectify error exceptions?

We are currently reviewing the guidance for providers in how to use the Learner Register. In September, we will be releasing a user guide for the Learner Register. This will explain step by step, how to use the service from start to finish. Within the guide you will have the opportunity to extract specific sections that you need in order to deliver training within your own organisation or you can use all of the guidance as a reference document. We will welcome comments on the guidance once it has been released.

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