Guidance

053/20 Participant Data Schema update

Updated 29 February 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esf-action-notes-2014-to-2020-programme/participant-data-schema-update

Date Issued 12/08/2020
Review Date 11/08/2021

1. Who should read

All Grant Recipients.

2. Purpose

2.1 CHANGE 1

Minor visual changes to the Participant Data Schema (PDS) around participant employment on starting status labels (column N) “Labour Market Status That Best Describes Situation” in the PDS.

Original Options:

  • unemployed (short term) (CO01)
  • long-term unemployed (CO02)
  • inactive (in education or training) (CO03)
  • inactive (not in education or training) (CO04)
  • employed including self-employed (CO05)

Revised Options:

  • unemployed (short term)
  • long-term unemployed
  • inactive (in education or training)
  • inactive (not in education or training)
  • employed including self-employed

This is only on the front sheet. When creating the uploadable version it will still use the original options. This means for those organisations who bypass the PDS and create their own uploadable sheets directly from their computer systems NO CHANGE IS REQUIRED.

2.2 CHANGE 2

Additionally the guidance around how to delete participant records is being updated. Previously the function to delete a record has been present but the specific action was ill-defined.

3. Background

During conversations with stakeholders it became apparent that there was confusion between the options available on the PDS and the relationship they have with the Outputs and Results. As there is not always a direct 1-2-1 relationship between the input on the PDS and the Output counts the Managing Authority has removed the common output denotation from the end of the emploment status.

A worked example would be that that a long term unemployed participant whilst they are CO02 and would be denoted as such on the previous PDS for reporting purposes that individual participant would also be counted under CO01 as CO01 includes both short term and long term unemployed participants.

4. Action

For those grant recipients who use the entire PDS for data recording and to produce the uploadable version for eclaims should now use the new PDS document.

For grant recipients wishing to delete a record the following information is required to be populated in the PDS:

  • Line Number
  • Project-Identifier
  • Participant-Identifier
  • Participant-status

5. Contact

If you have any queries, please email esf.2014-2020@dwp.gov.uk

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