canistudy
Draft rules v0.1 · not public

Have I got these five right?

We're building a checker that tells adults in Kent whether a course is funded for them. Before it goes any further, we need someone who does this daily to tell us where it's wrong.

5 casesAbout 5 minutesNo sign-up
0 of 5 marked

Each case below is a learner and a course. The green panel shows what our rules engine currently decides, and which rule it fired.

Mark it right or tell us what we've missed. Rough notes are fine — one line is far more use to us than nothing.

Learning aim codes below are placeholders — we're testing the rules, not the catalogue. If a case would work differently for a specific qualification, that's exactly the kind of thing we need to hear.

CASE 01tests: Free Courses for Jobs — no prior Level 3
Maria, 34, Sittingbourne. Cleans offices part-time, takes home around £16,000. Left school with GCSEs and did a Level 2 in customer service years ago. Wants to move into bookkeeping or accounts work.
Age at 31 Aug
34
Employment
Employed
Earnings
Below threshold
Highest qualification
Level 2
GCSE English & maths
Both, grade 4+
Residency
UK, 3+ years
Course they're asking aboutLevel 3 Diploma in Accounting
Learning aim 60312xxx · full qualification · on the FCFJ list
What our engine decides
Fully funded
Learner pays £0

She's 19 or over, doesn't hold a full Level 3, and this qualification is on the Free Courses for Jobs list — so it's free regardless of what she earns.

rule: fcfj_no_level_3Confidence: high
Is that right?
CASE 02tests: Legal entitlement — first full Level 3 at 19–23
James, 21, Margate. Out of work since last summer and claiming Universal Credit. Has a Level 2 in construction. Wants to retrain as an electrician.
Age at 31 Aug
21
Employment
Unemployed
Benefits
Universal Credit
Highest qualification
Level 2
GCSE English & maths
Both, grade 4+
Residency
UK, 3+ years
Course they're asking aboutLevel 3 Diploma in Electrical Installation
Learning aim 60141xxx · full qualification · first full Level 3
What our engine decides
Fully funded
Learner pays £0

He's 19–23 and this would be his first full Level 3, which is a legal entitlement. Our engine applies this before any earnings or benefits test.

rule: entitlement_full_l3_19_23Confidence: high
Is that right?
CASE 03tests: Overseas prior attainment + ESOL
Bohdan, 29, Gillingham. Arrived from Ukraine two years ago on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Holds an engineering degree from Kharkiv. Works in a warehouse and needs better English before anything else.
Age at 31 Aug
29
Employment
Employed
Earnings
Above threshold
Highest qualification
Level 6 (overseas)
GCSE English & maths
Neither
Residency
Ukraine scheme visa
Course they're asking aboutESOL Skills for Life, Entry Level 3
Learning aim 60023xxx · ESOL · part-time, 2 evenings
What our engine decides
Fully funded
Learner pays £0

Our engine treats the overseas degree as not blocking ESOL, and treats his visa as meeting the residency test. We're genuinely unsure about both halves of that.

rule: esol_entitlementConfidence: LOW — the one we most want checked
Is that right?
CASE 04tests: Holds Level 3, earns above threshold
Sharon, 47, Dover. Team leader in a care home on about £31,000. Did A-levels in the nineties. Her employer wants her to take a Level 3 in health and social care.
Age at 31 Aug
47
Employment
Employed
Earnings
Above threshold
Highest qualification
Level 3
GCSE English & maths
Both, grade 4+
Residency
UK, 3+ years
Course they're asking aboutLevel 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care
Learning aim 60358xxx · full qualification · on the FCFJ list
What our engine decides
Not fully funded — loan available
Advanced Learner Loan, or employer funding

She already holds a full Level 3 and earns above the threshold, so Free Courses for Jobs doesn't reach her. Our engine falls back to a loan rather than a fee waiver.

rule: advanced_learner_loanConfidence: medium
Is that right?
CASE 05tests: Legal entitlement — English and maths
Denise, 52, Ashford. Works 20 hours a week in a supermarket. Left school at 16 with nothing. Wants maths so she can apply for a supervisor role.
Age at 31 Aug
52
Employment
Employed
Earnings
Below threshold
Highest qualification
None
GCSE English & maths
Neither
Residency
UK, 3+ years
Course they're asking aboutFunctional Skills Maths, Level 2
Learning aim 60167xxx · maths · legal entitlement
What our engine decides
Fully funded
Learner pays £0

She's 19 or over without a grade 4 in maths, so maths up to Level 2 is a legal entitlement. Earnings and employment status don't come into it.

rule: entitlement_english_mathsConfidence: high
Is that right?

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