The government announced to Parliament on 17 July 2008 a package of cross-government support to Armed Forces personnel, their families and veterans, which included a commitment to providing Service leavers (SL) with access to a first full level 3 (GCE A level or vocational equivalent) or a first higher education qualification (a foundation degree or a first undergraduate degree or equivalent) free from tuition fees. Subsequently, the MoD engaged with other government departments (OGD)  (1) and devolved administrations (DA) (2) to define and agree the parameters of this additional further education (FE) and higher education (HE) support, develop the policy and implement the proposals. The scheme commenced with effect from 6 April 2009. On government direction, the scheme has been reviewed by MoD and its partner departments to ensure that it correctly meets the need of SL. This has resulted in revised criteria governing claims for FE and HE support under the auspices of the scheme that are submitted after 6 April 2011.

The support is aimed at people who will benefit the most, and the application system is really no different from the current ELC rules other than the state (MoD and the relevant national education authority in England, Scotland or Wales) paying tuition fees in full rather than the individual making a contribution towards the cost. The full policy can be found in JSP 898 Part 4 Chapter 7: Further and Higher Education Support for Service Leavers. 

 

(1) Department of Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Skills Funding Agency.

(2) Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government.

 

This opens the gateway to further education for people who may have joined the Armed Forces with few or no qualifications, and gone on to achieve a level 2 qualification (GCSE or equivalent) in the Service but progressed no further. The MoD has already committed to the target for all Service people to achieve level 2 within eight years of service or on promotion to Sergeant (or equivalent), whichever is the earlier.

Similarly, Service leavers who may have joined at level 2 and have taken the opportunity to gain a qualification such as an advanced apprenticeship or other accredited learning at level 3 (or equivalent), may now be able to access their first higher-level qualification.

While the commitment provides subsidy for tuition fees, individuals may have to contribute to the non-tuition-related costs of learning, which may depend on whether the learning is full-time or part-time, and the level of household income. Some applicants may be able to access means-tested support, as may other students.

Before making an application, Service leavers are advised to check the national position on existing support with the relevant national education authority (the BIS or SFA in England). There may already be existing free provision by another route: for example, those aged 25 years or under are already entitled to a first level 3 in England; there is free entitlement for all who fulfil the residency requirements on degree/HND-level courses in Scotland; and Welsh residents also attract some support for FE and HE provision. It makes sense for Service leavers to explore alternative routes before considering support and access through the ELC top-up scheme, and there are safety measures in place to prevent double funding.

 

Special eligibility criteria apply to personnel who are medically discharged from service before achieving four years’ service and advice should be sought from unit education staffs.

 

 

This commitment will provide access, free from tuition fees, for the following.

 

 

This additional support will go a long way to helping Service leavers achieve their first full level 3 (or national equivalent) or first HE qualification. This will help pave the way for the return to civilian life, or provide assistance at a later stage for those who have left to achieve a useful, nationally recognised qualification.

As competition becomes fiercer in a time of economic downturn, having skills and qualifications in addition to a wealth of experience gained in the Armed Forces may give the edge when seeking employment. All the tuition fees are free, so the cost to the individual is time and effort.

 

Understanding what qualification is eligible for ELC funding can be a challenge. It seems simple enough to state that the qualification must be listed at level 3 or above on the National Qualification Framework (NQF) (England and Wales), or the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), or at the equivalent (level 6 or above) on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). And, for the vast majority of higher-level qualifications, these frameworks are the authoritative reference lists. But there are many other qualifications available that seem to be tried and tested, worthwhile and valued by employers.

First of all, it is important to understand the difference between academic and vocational qualifications. For example, at level 3 and above on the NQF (level 6 on the SQF) these fall into well-recognised categories such as A-levels, certificates in higher education, diplomas, foundation degrees, higher national diplomas, graduate certificates/diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, master’s, postgraduate certificates and diplomas, and doctorates.

Vocational qualifications include a range of certificates and diplomas at NVQ levels 3 to 5, with vocational diplomas at the highest level. Both academic and vocational higher-level qualifications now equate to generic levels in the NQF structure.

 

There are many other qualifications, and the MoD and ELCAS go to great lengths to quality-assure providers wishing to apply for approved learning provider status. And, by keeping the numbers within a manageable range, we can ensure that there are sufficient resources to: carry out rigorous evaluation and inspections; compare and benchmark provider service delivery, support and course costs; and, equally important, ensure that those higher-level qualifications offered are eligible for ELC funding.

However, it can still be difficult to decide whether a course that does not appear on the NQF (or QCF or SQF) – which can be for a number of reasons – is eligible for ELC support. There are many ‘industry standard’ or ‘vendor’ certificates and qualifications on  the market, the majority linked to vocational skills and highly valued by employers. Unfortunately, there are many worthless ones around too, which may not be valued and recognised by an employer, or may not enhance skills to benefit career and promotion prospects in the Services, or help find employment on leaving them.

To provide some recognition and support for worthwhile qualifications, and to eliminate the rogue ones, the MoD and ELCAS liaise with approved providers; awarding, regulatory and governing bodies; and Sector Skills Councils across the major skills sectors. The object is to bring some sense and understanding to these other qualifications and determine, where appropriate, higher-level equivalence.

For example, equivalence of the training leading to award of a private pilot’s licence has been agreed at level 3 with the Civil Aviation Authority. e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, has been involved in pulling together a matrix of eligible higher-level vendor IT qualifications, and similar work has taken place with Summit Skills on building services engineering. Agreements have also been reached with the Health & Safety Executive, PADI and BSAC to approve the instructor-level diving courses that can be supported through the ELC scheme.

This work will continue, in the drive to provide clear guidance and advice. But not all organisations are quick to respond, and some may not know the answers. It can take time to agree which vocational courses equate to a higher-level academic equivalent in terms of rigour, commitment and learning.

The ELC scheme is largely meant to be about personnel pursuing higher-level learning, delivering benefits to both the learner and the Armed Forces. But it also allows level 3-plus learning to be pursued during resettlement or for up to ten years after leaving the Services. The majority of this learning is likely to be vocational (learning new skills or enhancing existing ones) with the qualification benefiting the learner and a future employer and, nationally, adding to the UK’s skills base.

The major difficulty claimants and countersigning education/learning staff have is in determining whether a vocational course leading to a qualification should be supported through the ELC scheme. For the vast majority of qualification courses the rule is clear: the qualification must appear on the NQF/QCF or national equivalent. However, if an industry standard qualification has been assessed as being at NQF (or equivalent) level 3 or higher, and accepted by a reputable awarding or regulatory body, this information will appear on the ELCAS website, linked where possible to external advice and guidance. These instances are likely to be rare but, when they arise, it is the responsibility of learning providers and individual claimants to prove that a qualification is at level 3 or above.

 

ELCAS, MoD and the Service scheme administrators continue to review, streamline and improve the claims procedure, but the scheme operates within strict guidelines. Funding must be accountable, with robust and fully auditable systems in place to track how ELC are used to pursue higher-level qualifications. Inevitably, learning providers may have to tweak their course registration process, invoicing procedures and learning support to comply with the particular requirements of the ELC scheme, taking into account the particular circumstances of Service life.

 

Claimants can also help things run smoothly. ELCAS continues to deal with a high proportion of claims that are queried or rejected. Almost 20% of all claims received do not comply with the correct claims authorisation procedures, and this figure is even higher for those received by education staff.
Some of the main reasons for rejection include:

Learners should plan ahead, research and discuss their  learning with their line manager and Service education or learning adviser. This applies equally to qualifying ex-Service people using their ELC, some of whom, again, leave their claim submission until the last minute. The 15-day margin is in place for good reason. Those who do not plan sufficiently ahead could find themselves significantly out of pocket as retrospective claims are not allowed under any circumstances.

As mentioned above, another reason for claim rejection is that the course does not meet the necessary minimum criteria (level 3 or above on the NQF) or even that the learning provider is not on the ELCAS approved list. Other reasons for rejection are:

Do not assume that all courses offered by an approved provider are automatically admissible under the ELC scheme. This is a common misconception: one provider may supply many courses, but only those at NQF level 3 or above (and equivalent) may be undertaken for ELC purposes.

Other reasons for claims being queried include:

All this has a knock-on effect, with the process for dealing with claims being delayed while ELCAS staff follow up queries. Those that are rejected and returned add to the burden on education and learning staff, as valid but incorrect applications have to be reprocessed and this is not helped by personnel moving and sometimes being difficult to trace.

 

Learners should:

Another important area that continues to be neglected is post-course evaluation. To date, fewer than a third of applicants are completing and returning their evaluation forms. Again, this leads to further chasing, with ELCAS staff issuing reminders and education/learning staff taking further time to trace individuals to pass them on. After people have been chased, the response rate improves to about 50%, but nothing less than a 100% completion rate is good enough.

Evaluation is extremely important. Learner feedback is an essential element of the quality assurance process and provides the evidence to help the MoD tackle poorly performing learning providers and, where necessary, suspend or withdraw their approved status. It is also a requirement for the individual to retain a copy of the evaluation in their personal development record. If they do not and cannot provide evidence of course completion, future ELC claims will be denied.

It is in learners’ interests to take the time to complete the ELC post-course evaluation form.

 

 

 

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