NCALT is the National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies, which produces and delivers e-learning, immersive learning (Hydra and Minerva) and the national Managed Learning Environment (MLE) for the UK police service. The MLE is the on-line learning delivery platform through which police officers and staff can access learning.

A Managed Learning Environment is a software system for managing learners, delivering e-learning content and learning resources. It also provides access controls and individual training plans.

NCALT has procured and customised a world class Learning Management System, Sum Total Enterprise Suite 7.1, to deliver a single national learning platform for the Police Service and wider policing community.

The MLE provides each Home Office force with its own local area (or domain), where it can not only access national e-learning materials but also publish its local learning materials and comprehensively track, manage and report on trainee progress. 

In the MLE, you can create multiple user accounts and update existing accounts. This functionality is known as bulk registration and is relatively simple. An Excel spreadsheet containing the user records in a prescribed format is uploaded to the MLE, and the MLE processes the records in the background and subsequently creates a results file which can be downloaded for error checking and confirmation.

NCALT provides each Home Office force with its own local area (or domain) on the MLE, where they can not only access national e-learning materials but also publish local learning materials and comprehensively track, manage and report on trainee progress. 

Responsibility for the management and administration of the force domain lies with each force.   Each force is required to nominate a senior responsible owner (SRO) for implementing e-learning and the Managed Learning Environment.

1. The SRO will act (or nominate an individual to act) on behalf of the force as the prime point of contact between the force and NCALT.

2. The SRO will assign appropriately qualified and experienced staff to fulfil the generic system roles of Domain Administrator(s), Domain Training Manager(s) and Domain Line Manager(s).

3. The force will, at its own expense, ensure its local IT infrastructure is able to support access to and use of the MLE.

4. The force will, at its own expense, provide its learners with an appropriate learning environment, facilities and services, including first-line support, protected learning time and training, in order that learners can access and utilise the available products.

5. Where the force is providing content, software, equipment or other items to enable NCALT to provide the services, the force will obtain all necessary consents, licences and approvals in relation to NCALT’s use of such items and/or intellectual property rights, and will indemnify NCALT, NPIA and the Metropolitan Police Service for any liability incurred as a result of the force’s failure to obtain such consents, licences and approvals.

6. The force agrees not to use the MLE to provide services to organisations outside of the police service of England and Wales (and persons connected thereto) without prior written permission from NCALT.

7. The force agrees not use the MLE to facilitate income generation without prior written consent from NCALT.

Every force using their local domain is required to nominate a Domain Administrator, so that the organisation has control over what they see and do within the MLE. The Domain Administrator manages users, privileges, course uploads and audiences.

A course is restricted if it is likely to:

• Cause substantial distress to individuals;
• Make it more difficult to maintain the operational effectiveness or security of the UK or allied forces (military forces);
• Prejudice the investigation or facilitate the commission of crime;
• Impede the effective development or operation of government policy;
• Breach proper undertakings to maintain the confidence of material provided by third parties;
• Breach statutory restrictions on disclosure of material (does not include the Data Protection Act 1998, where non-sensitive information is involved);
• Disadvantage government or your own force in commercial or policy negotiations with others; or
• Undermine the proper management of the public sector and its operations.

If a course is restricted, then you can only access it from police computers. You will not be able to access it over the ordinary internet, as police computers are more secure.

Some local issues, such as firewalls or other security measures, can cause the MLE to act in unexpected ways. If you are having problems, contact your local IT department in the first instance. If they are not able to assist you, contact the NPIA Service Desk, who will help to establish whether it is a local or system issue.

Tracking of student officer achievement in relation to the IPLDP NOS, via the MLE, is mandatory. The IPLDP Central Authority has asked for quarterly reports on the data captured on the MLE. Reports will also be provided for individual forces. To enable the reports to be produced, forces are asked to update the MLE on a quarterly basis. A timeframe for the reports and when updates are expected will be published. Regular updating of the NOS will also enable individual forces to monitor student officer progress rather then wait until the end of two years.

NVQs are not time bound. It will be possible that some student officers complete the NVQs in either less than or more than two years. The MLE system will be amended to record the achievement of NVQ units. Individual NVQ units can therefore be recorded when they have been assessed and internally verified. There will be the caution that they will be subject to external verification. Forces are asked to update progress on NVQ units on a quarterly basis, as outlined above.

The names are used in terms of the assessment of NOS and NVQs. The latter, however, requires formal qualifications to undertake the role. The assessor undertakes the assessment of the student officer in the workplace against the criteria within the NOS or NVQ units. The internal verifier quality assures the assessments, often of a number of assessors, to ensure that there is consistency in the assessment of student officers. More detailed explanations of the roles can be found in the IPLDP Assessment Protocol and the Skills for Justice Assessment Strategy.

When the NOS unit has been assessed and internally verified.

Yes, one or more assessors can contribute to the assessment of a NOS if they are qualified to do so, occupationally competent in relation to the NOS being assessed and trained in the techniques of assessing NOS. In such circumstances, it would be advisable to have a designated assessor for the NOS unit who co-ordinates the overall assessment.