Frequently asked questions

Where does the information come from?

The National Learning Directory is the government funded national database of learning opportunities. It contains information on approximately 1 million courses from more than 10,000 providers in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

I’ve found a fault with the information

If you find a fault with the information about a course or provider please email data@employersguide.org.uk.

How do I get my courses on the National Learning Directory?

You can supply your information to us in a number of ways. You can either:

Enter your details directly using our Course Manager system
Post hard copies of your information to us
Email us your updated URL or
Fill in an excel spreadsheet

For more information on all these options, email datateam@learning-directory.co.uk.

I wish to supply details on higher education courses

If you are a provider of higher education courses please contact UCAS at:

UCAS
Rosehill
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
Glos GL52 3LZ
Tel: 01242 544 864
or email: information.services@ucas.ac.uk

Frequently asked questions about accreditation

Training keyword

Enter one or more search terms (the words or phrases that best describe what you are looking for) into the training keyword box and select on the ‘Search’ button or press enter/return key.

The search engine looks for those words/phrases against the course title.

A keyword may be entered in conjunction with a postcode or may be entered on its own. Here are some tips to help you maximize the effectiveness of your keyword search.

Choosing search terms:: Choosing the right search terms is key to finding the information you need. Start with the obvious. If searching for plumbing courses, enter ”plumbing”. It can be helpful to use more than one keyword but generally these must be separated with a comma as phrases without commas will require an exact match in order to return results. For example, “art design” will only return courses with the words “art” and “design” next to each other, whereas “art, design” will return any courses with “art” and “design” anywhere in the title.
Capitalisation:: The searches are not case sensitive. So searches for “BTEC”, “btec” and “BtEC” will all return the same results.
Wild character searches:: Results will only be returned where whole words in the title match your search keywords; for example, “plumb” won’t find “plumber”. You can, however, include the * wild character at the start or end of a keyword if you wish to include all matches that include your keyword as part of a word in the title.
Synonyms:: When searching for matches, the system will include synonyms in its search; for example, entering a keyword of “equine” will also find courses with “horse” in their title.

Postcode

Enter a postcode if you wish to know the distance of the course venues from, say, your factory or office.

If you specify a postcode, the results will be ordered with the nearest course venues listed first, although you will be able to modify this ordering once you have the results.

You specify either a full postcode or just the first two or more characters; for example, “SL9 0JJ” will measure the distance from a more specific point than “SL”.

A postcode may be entered in conjunction with a keyword, but cannot be entered on its own.

Study types

Indicates how the course is offered.
The results will only include courses with the selected study type.
Only one study type can be selected at a time, including the “all study types” option.
The number in brackets indicates the number of courses that will be returned if the study type is selected.
If the “all study types” is already selected, selecting another study type will return a sub-set of the existing results.
If the “all study types” is not already selected, selecting it is likely to return more results than presently displayed.

Venue types

Indicates the location where the course can be attended.
The results will only include courses with the selected venue type.
Only one venue type can be selected at a time, including the “all venue types” option.
The number in brackets indicates the number of courses that will be returned if the venue type is selected.
If the “all venue types” is already selected, selecting another venue type will return a sub-set of the existing results.
If the “all venue types” is not already selected, selecting it is likely to return more results than presently displayed.
To suit client: the provider will provide the course at a location that is specified by the client.
At client site: the provider will provide the course at a client site.
Work based: the course involves an element of work based training e.g. apprenticeships.
In company: the course can be delivered at a specified place of business.
Provider venues: the course will be at the provider's venue.
Self study: the course is distance based, where the attendees work in their own time.
Online: the course is delivered online e.g. via an e-learning package.
On location: the course is delivered at a specific location relevant to the course e.g. outdoor skills at a national park.
To be confirmed: venue has not yet been specified.

Training Quality Standard (TQS)

The Training Quality Standard is an assessment and certification process which has been designed to recognise and celebrate the best organisations delivering training and development.

Providers can only achieve the standard if they can demonstrate exceptional levels of customer satisfaction and that the training they deliver has real impact.

You will find more information about the Training Quality Standard on this website Training Quality Standard.

Train to Gain (TTG)

Train to Gain is the national skills Service that supports employers of all sizes and in all sectors to improve the skills of your employees as a route to improving your business performance.

There are over 1,000 Train to Gain providers, each funded by the government to support your business.

Qualification types

Indicates the outcome of successfully completing the course.
The results will only include courses with the selected qualification type.
Only one qualification type can be selected at a time, including the “all qualification types” option.
The number in brackets indicates the number of courses that will be returned if the qualification type is selected.
If the “all qualification types” is already selected, selecting another qualification type will return a sub-set of the existing results.
If the “all qualification types” is not already selected, selecting it is likely to return more results than presently displayed.

Sort options

Indicates the order by which the results are sorted. The default order depends on whether you specified a postcode in the original search.

1. If you have not specified a postcode, the default order will be:: Training Quality Standard (TQS)
Train to Gain (TTG)
Random

2. If you have specified a postcode (full or partial) , the default order will be:: Training Quality Standard (TQS)
Train to Gain (TTG)
Distance from postcode
Random

How to register and amend courses on the National Learning Directory

New providers

The Learning Directory is the government funded national database of learning opportunities. It contains information on approximately 1 million courses from more than 10,000 providers in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

To see if your courses are already listed on the national database go to: provider search.

You can supply your information to us in a number of ways. You can either:

enter your details directly using our Course Manager system
post hard copies of your information to us
email us your updated URL or
fill in an excel spreadsheet

For more information on all these options, contact on 020 8600 0403 or email coursemanager@learning-directory.co.uk.

How to add or change course data

You can supply your updated information to us in a number of ways. You can either enter your details directly using our Course Manager system, post hard copies of your information to us or email us your updated URL. Please note the excel spreadsheet option is not available for existing providers. For more information please see the contact details below.

If you are a provider of higher education courses please contact UCAS at:: UCAS
Rosehill
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
Glos GL52 3LZ; Tel: 01242 544 864
or email: information.services@ucas.ac.uk
For all other enquiries contact Hotcourses at:: Hotcourses
150-152 King Street
London
W6 0QU; Tel: 020 8600 1264
Email: datateam@learning-directory.co.uk