As the January 2027 LLE funding window approaches, institutional preparation is happening largely through non-public procurement and approval processes. The first Expression of Interest closed in late 2025, with participating providers notified privately ahead of 2026. The public directory of LLE-funded modules is expected to launch in September 2026.

While these pilots were not branded as LLE implementation exercises, taken together they reveal how institutions are pragmatically preparing for modular delivery. Several institutions have made their LLE preparation publicly visible through government pilot programmes that concluded in 2025. These pilots reveal a consistent pattern: treating modular provision as a delivery-model challenge rather than a systems integration project.

Institutions That Tested Modular Delivery in 2025

University of Staffordshire

Participated in the Modular Acceleration Programme (MAP) through December 2025, offering 30-credit modules in Sports Coaching. MAP tested credit-bearing modular delivery at Levels 4–5 using a credit and intensity structure closely aligned with LLE expectations.[^1]

UWE Bristol

Tested credit-bearing short courses through the Higher Education Short Course (HESC) trial with three modules on Zero Carbon Buildings spanning Levels 4, 5, and 6. The pilot explored how industry upskilling works through modular formats and what operational structures support step-in/step-out learners.[^2]

Manchester Metropolitan University

Ran modular courses in Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D Printing through the HESC trial, testing how technical skills can be delivered in contained formats aligned to regional employer needs.[^3]

Telford College, Shrewsbury Colleges Group, and Herefordshire, Ludlow & North Shropshire College

Collaborated on MAP-funded modular provision in business, construction, and digital skills through December 2025, demonstrating how FE and HE can work together on flexible, employer-responsive provision.[^4]

Teesside University

Participated in the HESC trial, focusing on digital and net-zero modules aligned to regional industrial needs.[^3]

Institutions Building LLE Infrastructure

Bath Spa University

Developed a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Framework that allows individual modules to be approved as standalone credit-bearing courses—creating governance infrastructure for modular provision ahead of formal LLE requirements.[^5]

Loughborough University and Coventry University

Published dedicated LLE guidance pages for prospective 2027 entrants, signalling institutional commitment to modular pathways and stackable credit options.[^6][^7]

Birkbeck, University of London

Used the HESC trial to refine its existing modular enrolment structure, particularly Certificate of Higher Education offerings that allow credit stacking over time.[^8]

What These Pilots Reveal

Across MAP and HESC participation, a clear operational pattern emerged:

Delivery-first approaches: Institutions tested modular formats through contained environments that operated alongside (not inside) core systems, allowing them to learn operational requirements: learner behaviour, support models, credit accumulation patterns, without enterprise-wide transformation.

Governance adaptation: Rather than waiting for perfect integration, institutions like Bath Spa built approval frameworks for modular provision that could authorise pilots quickly while maintaining oversight.

Subject alignment: Pilots focused on employer-endorsed areas (sustainability, digital skills, health) where modular demand was clearest and where employer partnerships could validate the approach.

This pattern reflects a fundamental insight: early evidence suggests LLE preparation is being approached less as a systems-first integration challenge, and more as a delivery-model challenge requiring operational learning through contained experimentation.

The Current Timeline

As of January 2026:

• Late 2025: First Expression of Interest deadline closed

• Late 2025: Approved providers privately notified

• Spring 2026: Second Expression of Interest window opens[^9]

• September 2026: Public directory of LLE-funded modules expected to launch

• January 2027: First LLE-funded courses and modules begin

Institutions approved for LLE effectively have around 12 months to operationalise modular delivery. The pilot-first approach tested through MAP and HESC offers a template: test delivery models in contained environments, learn operational requirements, then scale as the model proves itself.

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References

[^1]: Staffordshire University. (2025). Modular Acceleration Programme in Sports Coaching. https://www.staffs.ac.uk/courses/short/modular-acceleration-programme-in-sports-coaching

[^2]: UWE Bristol. (2024). Higher Education Short Course Loans. https://www.uwe.ac.uk/courses/funding/scholarships-and-bursaries/higher-education-short-course-loans

[^3]: Department for Education. (2023). Higher education short courses trial: courses included. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-short-courses-trial-courses-included

[^4]: Shropshire Chamber of Commerce. (2024). MAP Courses. https://www.shropshire-chamber.co.uk/support-advice/employment-recruitment/map-courses

[^5]: Bath Spa University. (2024). Lifelong Learning Entitlement. https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/lifelong-learning-entitlement/

[^6]: Loughborough University. (2025). Lifelong Learning Entitlement. https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/student-services/topics/lifelong-learning-entitlement/

[^7]: Coventry University. (2025). Lifelong Learning Entitlement. https://www.coventry.ac.uk/study-at-coventry/finance/undergraduate-finance/lifelong-learning-entitlement/

[^8]: Birkbeck, University of London. (2025). Short Courses. https://www.bbk.ac.uk/courses/2025/short-courses

[^9]: Department for Education. (2025). Expression of interest: LLE modular funding [Withdrawn]. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/expression-of-interest-lifelong-learning-entitlement-lle-modular-funding