DAS agreement identifier

[Martin WestSpectator]

For 2018/19 the validation rules include AgreeId-01 (The agreement identifier is not valid) and 02 (The agreement identifier has not been returned) but we still do not know what or where the Agreement Identifier is obtained from or what it is so that it can be included in the ILR.

Will this be another field to include in Dlock errors and cause more problems for Providers and Employers?

[Matt CollishawSpectator]

As Martin has stated i have also noticed this. I really hope this will only apply from starts after the 1st August 2018.

This information needs to made available to providers and easily accessible on the DAS (maybe shown on the cohort page). It would be ridiculous to expect the provider to ring/chase each employer to get this identifier. Even more so to expect this to be backdated for all pre 2018 starts.

This is not in the the best interest of the employer or the provider.

[Pete_JohnsonSpectator]

Hi Martin

Looking at the way the Agreement Identifier is framed in the ILR Spec, and the info in the Validation Rules in the Rule Description and Field Values sections, I would hazard a guess that it will be looking at the Cohort Reference number listed in the DAS against apprentices and that we’ll have to update the ILR with this reference. I’m still guessing here but I would think it is so they can link the DAS to our ILR records for students.

As I say it’s only a guess, but hopefully at least it’s a semi-intelligent one!

Pete

[Martin WestSpectator]

Hi,
I have queried this previously and was told it was not the cohort reference or the employers DAS account ID, the ILR specifications indicate that ‘This identifier is displayed in the “Your organisations and agreements” section of the employer account when they sign the ESFA agreement on behalf of their legal entity’ but ESFADigital said that they not yet set this up in DAS.

It also looks like this is required as a new field for all Apprenticeships recorded as ACT 1 and not only new starts from 1st August 2018.

What we do know is what we don’t know.

[Pete_JohnsonSpectator]

Seems like the ESFA don’t know either Martin.

[OFFSSpectator]

Yes it’s not so much the 18/19 starts that are the issue as back filling all the carryover. Would help if providers were at least able to start getting hold of the IDs now.

[Caspar VerneySpectator]

Sadly this looks like another case where the ESFA know the answer somewhere. Certainly they knew enough to get it into the ILR Specification. But to reveal such information to Providers might be regarded as helpful and that would never do.

I suspect that around 1st September there will be a sudden realisation that the rule must be changed from Error to Warning whilst “further work is undertaken”.

Definitely not cynical,
Caspar

[OFFSSpectator]

I don’t imagine providers have got much else to do in August have they ? Plenty of time then for looking up old IDs… 🙁

[r012943Spectator]

Hi All,

Has anyone been able to find the Agreement Identifier in the DAS as of yet?

Thanks for any help
Lee

[Martin WestSpectator]

Hi Lee,
Not as yet, either in the Employer or Provider DAS accounts.
I must be missing something or they have not updated it in DAS accounts yet?

[r012943Spectator]

Thanks Martin – I couldn’t find it earlier today either so guessing they haven’t been updated as of yet.

Thank you