Learners, advisers and employers frequently asked questions and answers
Learners
What does the Personal Learning Record (PLR) mean to me?
Your PLR is your permanent, authoritative online record of your qualifications and achievements.
The PLR means you should no longer have to show copies of different certificates to learning providers and employers. You can provide this information as a report generated from your PLR, and you can select what information you want to include on the report.
Most qualifications from UK learning providers, including GCSEs, A levels, QCF and work based training modules, appear on your PLR. The PLR makes it easy for you to see how many QCF credits you have towards a qualification, and what you still need to do to complete it. So you can make sure your learning achievements are never wasted.
What’s my Unique Learner Number (ULN)?
The ULN is a unique 10-digit number, and most learners aged 14+ have one. It is designed to work with your PLR, helping to give you proof of your learning and achievements from the age of 16 onwards
Your ULN will stay with you for life as you build up a record of education and skills achievement. The ULN is the educational equivalent of your National Insurance number. It should be kept safe.
How do I access my PLR?
The Learning Records Service cannot tell you your ULN or give you direct access to your PLR, and you cannot access these via this website. This is to protect your privacy.
If you are aged 16-19, your school, college or learning provider can give you access to your PLR. Unlike the Learning Records Service, they know you and can officially verify your identity first. Then you will need your ULN (which your learning provider can also give you) and email address to register on the Learner Portal. If you are aged 19+, you can access your PLR in the same way from a Registered Learning Body or, as from April 2012, through the National Careers Service (external link).
Who else can see my PLR?
Only registered organisations can view your PLR, and they can only do so if they have your ULN. Learning Providers, particularly the one you are enrolled with, may want to check what qualifications you have, and that new qualifications you have gained appear there. Awarding organisations can see part of your PLR when they input data about your new qualifications. Careers advisers can view your PLR to help you decide what to study next
Your ULN is the key to your PLR. You control your PLR and decide whether to share it.
I don't wish to share my PLR data. What do I do?
You can choose to ‘opt-out’ of sharing your PLR:
- As part the enrolment process with your learning provider.
- By contacting the LRS Customer Helpdesk on 0845 602 2589. You will be required to provide some personal details to confirm your identify, which may include your Unique Learner Number (ULN), if known.
Note: if you do opt-out, Awarding Organisations may not be able be see who you are and so may not be able to award you a certificate.
More information for learners
Advisers
What do I need to be aware of as an adviser? A learner should have a Unique Learner Number (ULN) to undertake learning of QCF units and qualifications. They will have a PLR giving credit achievement and knowledge which will assist your assessment and planning of the learning journey. The
National Careers Service (external link) provides a service for learners and their advisers to search for courses available locally, plan a learner's career and offer guidance on getting a job.
It is important to check for an existing ULN before creating a new one, to avoid duplication. Providers and advisers play a crucial role in assigning and verifying learners' ULNs. View the
User Guide for more information on searching for learners:
Duplicate ULNs for one learner cause issues for the learner, as the PLR feeds from the ULN, and will result in inaccurate records and an incomplete PLR.
A learner who has recognised achievements outside the QCF can claim exemption from units inside a QCF qualification if these are deemed to be of equal value. Recognised qualifications gained before the credit based system may be subject to time limit exemptions which are set by awarding organisations.
What do I need to communicate to a learner? It is important to be able to support employers and learners in understanding the advantages of the QCF and the associated ULN and PLR. The learner can build towards a nationally recognised qualification bit by bit because credits achieved through units of learning or training can be accumulated in an online PLR accessible by the learner through a provider or Learner Registration Body (LRB).
The ULN us a unique 10-digit number allocated to the majority of learners aged 14+ in the UK. It may already be printed on their exam results slip or certificate from awarding organisations. It is not to be confused with any Candidate, Exam or Centre Number that an awarding organisation might have issued. Schools, colleges, universities and learning providers can allocate a ULN directly a learner. The ULN helps learners throughout their lifelong learning and when accessing careers advice and their PLR. Learners do not have direct access to their PLRs – this is done in collaboration with the LRB so the learner’s identity can be verified.
You need to know about and understand the flexibilities and advantages that QCF and the PLR offers, especially the way in which credit can be accumulated towards qualifications and transferred between different providers and awarding organisations.
Further information on the QCF, a
comprehensive FAQ document (external link) is available on the QCF website.
Employers
What do the QCF and PLR mean to me as an employer? The QCF enables employers to tailor the training they offer so it is more specific to their business and organisational needs. It helps identify packages of units and credits that can be used to respond to economic requirements and accredit employer training, gaining external verification and national accreditation. It will help to become an awarding organisation. The PLR allows for trusted restricted access to achievement information about staff and potential staff where access is granted and will help avoid funding duplicate qualifications.
If you have any queries or questions relating to qualifications for post 19 learners, and/or Unit Delivery please contact the Data Service’s Service Desk:
You can request further information by contacting the Learning Records Service Customer Helpdesk on 0845 602 2589 or emailing
lrssupport@learningrecordsservice.org.uk .
