Further Education

Information for Colleges and Work Based Learning Providers

The use of the Unique Learner Number (ULN) in further education is now a mandatory requirement for publicly funded FE and Learning Providers and specifically when submitting their Individualised Learning Record (ILR) returns. The advice is that all learners in education or training should be allocated a valid and separate ULN as a means of identifying their learning achievements for life.

You have three ways of getting ULNs via the Learner Register:

The Learner Register Secure Portal

This is used for obtaining individual ULNs. If you have a group of up to 20 ULNs to obtain, this is probably the quickest way to get them. The Secure Portal is also used to edit the details of a ULN such as the preferred name or change of post code.

The Learner Register Batch Process

This is used for obtaining groups of ULNs in batches between 20 and 5000. The batch files must conform to our Registration Batch Interface Guide. This is an overnight process which may produce exceptions where the system queries the information provided.

The Learner Register Web Services

This is where your management information software is linked into the Learner Register and automatically retrieves ULNs where they exist or obtain a new ULN. The MI software assists in the resolution of the exceptions. This is the preferred method but does rely on your own MIS Vendor or software supplier providing the interface with the Learner Register.

We provide support for colleges and work based learning providers in the form of workshops as well as the documents listed in our resources section.