The Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) provides the administrative support for the ELC Scheme. Since it began in April 2003 there has been a frenzy of registration processing, culminating in 189,000 forms processed to date.Anyone wishing to confirm their registration should call ELCAS on 0870 4115600. Overseas callers who cannot access this number should call 01386 842745. Lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Registrations and claims

In April 2004 the open registration window closed and the opportunity to register is now available only to applicants who are either in their first year or at their eight- to eight-and-a-half-year window of eligible service. As the registrations subside, the claims have started to roll in, so that by the end of July this year over 1000 claims were received and processed.

 Remember that a couple of extra minutes spent checking your ELC claim could reduce delays. Over a quarter of all claim forms received have been queried or rejected as they either do not meet the scheme criteria or have been completed incorrectly. The checklist below covers some of the key issues to consider before submitting a claim for ELC funding:

Checklist

• You must be a registered ELC Scheme member
• To claim a low-threshold ELC you must have completed more than four years’ eligible service since your scheme entry date (the later of 1 April 2000 or your enlistment). Please consult your education staff if you are unsure about this
• The learning provider selected must be ELC approved. (Check the ELCAS website at www.enhancedlearningcredits.co.uk, for full details.)
• Your claim form must be signed by you, then by your line manager and, lastly, by an authorised education officer (nominated to us by MoD)
• You may claim only up to 80 per cent of the total course value or up to the maximum claim value (£1,000 for lowthreshold claims)
• You may only make one claim in any financial year
• Your claim must relate to a learning activity that commences in the financial year in which you are applying, so you may not claim in March for an activity starting in April
• The learning activity must lead to a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above on the National

What now?

When you are ready to claim you should consult your education staff, plan your learning, submit your claim to ELCAS and await receipt of your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN).A copy of the CAN should be placed on your Personal Development Record and the original passed to your learning provider when you pay your contribution (minimum 20 per cent).Then you should enjoy the activity that you have chosen and return the evaluation form to ELCAS upon completion of that learning.

Tips for learning providers

• Do not use any MoD or ELCAS logos/markings to denote approval.
Instead, refer to yourself as ‘Approved by MoD in support of the ELC Scheme’
• The current list of Approved Learning Providers on the ELCAS website is not exclusive and organisations are welcome to apply to be included
• All learning providers wishing to become approved providers should apply to ELCAS using a Pre Qualification Questionnaire. Inclusion on any other MoD supplier list does not qualify an organisation as an approved provider for ELCs
• Providers should expect to receive payment within 30 to 45 days of ELCAS receiving their invoice.