AW-18 — Learner Services Desk: Enquiries, Records Services, Fees and Sponsorship Letters, Holds

1. Purpose and scope

Purpose. To give every learner and CPD participant one place to ask, with a logged ticket, a published turnaround, an answer drawn from the system of record, and a release standard under which no transcript, letter or account detail leaves IoL without the requester's identity verified and the lawful basis confirmed. ISO 21001 expects learners to be told what they can ask for, how long it takes and what happens next; this procedure is where that information is published and kept true.

Scope statement. This procedure manages every non-academic learner request from receipt at the desk to closure of the ticket, including referral of anything the desk is not competent to decide.

Applies to. General enquiries; records services (transcripts, enrolment and completion letters, employer and licensing-body verifications); fee queries, sponsorship letters and financial holds; routing of academic matters, complaints and accessibility disclosures. Covers current learners, CPD participants and former learners.

Does not apply to. Admission and registration decisions (WF-07); status, progression and clearance decisions (WF-10); the merits of any complaint or appeal (AW-20, WF-11); assessment of adjustments (AW-19); receipt of money or alteration of a fee balance (MBRU Finance, AW-12); legal and regulator information requests (AW-04).

2. Trigger, boundary and interfaces

3. Roles and accountability

Process owner. IoL Learner Services Lead or equivalent [IoL to confirm].

[CONTROL] Segregation. The desk does not receive money, alter a fee balance or lift a hold. The officer who verifies identity records that fact under their own name. Any release to a third party is authorised by a person other than the officer who prepared it.

4. Procedure

1. Receive and log. Every request enters the ticketing system [IoL to confirm] with requester, channel, date and a category from step 2. Walk-in and telephone requests are logged at the time. [CONTROL] No document is issued and no referral is made from an unlogged request.

2. Categorise and route. One of: (a) general enquiry; (b) records service; (c) fee, sponsorship letter or hold; (d) academic matter, to WF-07 or WF-10; (e) complaint, to AW-20 or WF-11; (f) accessibility disclosure, to AW-19. Miscategorised tickets are recategorised, so the clock runs from receipt.

3. Resolve general enquiries at first contact. The officer answers from the desk knowledge base, compiled only from controlled documents (AW-03) and current MBRU published information. Decision point. If the answer is not there, the officer refers within the service standard and logs the gap for the Desk Lead to close.

4. Verify identity before any records service. [CONTROL] A learner requesting their own record does so from their MBRU account, or in person with photo identification matched to the registry record, or by video call with the same check where the account has lapsed [IoL to confirm against Registry practice]. An employer or licensing-body verification is actioned only with the learner's written consent naming the recipient, or on a lawful basis confirmed under AW-16. The officer records the method and the date.

5. Issue from the system of record. Transcripts and letters are generated from the MBRU registry system in its controlled format with a reference number [IoL to confirm whether IoL generates or requests these]. Nothing is typed from memory or a spreadsheet. [CONTROL] Third-party verifications state only what was asked and what the record shows, and are authorised by the Desk Lead before release.

6. Release under AW-16. Documents go to the learner's MBRU account, the portal, or the address named in the consent, by an authenticated channel. Personal data is never given by telephone or to an unverified email address. A release to the wrong person is reported the same day under AW-16.

7. Handle fees, sponsorship letters and holds. The officer reads the MBRU Finance record and explains it, without interpreting policy beyond what is published. Sponsorship letters use the Finance-approved template, confirmed against the registration record, and issue under Finance authority. [CONTROL] A hold is explained by the desk and lifted only by MBRU Finance or Registry when its cause is cleared; the ticket records the referral and the outcome.

8. Refer academic matters. Registration changes go to WF-07; status changes, leave of absence, withdrawal, progression and clearance go to WF-10, as a linked ticket carrying the learner's own words and any deadline. The learner is told who now holds it. Decision point. A request that would change enrolment status is never actioned at the desk.

9. Refer complaints and disclosures. Any expression of dissatisfaction is logged as a complaint and routed to AW-20 (service, conduct, facilities, administration) or WF-11 (academic). A disclosure of a disability or health condition goes to AW-19 in a restricted ticket visible only to the AW-19 intake role. The desk assesses merits in neither case.

10. Close and confirm. The ticket closes with the outcome, a closure notice and a one-question satisfaction pulse. A ticket awaiting the learner for 20 working days is closed as unresponsive and can be reopened without penalty.

11. Publish the information to learners. The service catalogue lists each request type, channel, what the learner must supply, the identity standard, any document fee [IoL to confirm] and the turnaround in section 5. It is a controlled document under AW-03, reviewed each academic period.

Exception routes. A hard external deadline (visa, licensing board, employer start date) is prioritised by the Desk Lead; the identity standard is never relaxed for urgency. Requests concerning a deceased learner, a court order or a regulator go to AW-04 and MBRU Legal.

5. Service standards

6. Records, retention and controls

Key controls. (1) Every request has a ticket before any action. (2) No document or account detail is released without a recorded identity verification. (3) Third-party releases carry consent or a confirmed lawful basis and a second-person authorisation. (4) Documents are generated only from the system of record. (5) The desk never receives money, alters a balance or lifts a hold. (6) Academic status is never changed at the desk. (7) Complaints and disability disclosures are routed, not assessed.

OBEF touchpoint. None. Where a learner updates contact details through the desk, the officer updates the registry record through WF-07's channel and holds no separate copy.

7. Performance measures

8. Change control