Bulletin for March 2026

Last Updated: 31 Mar 2026

Service Review Forums 2025/26

There is still time to register for our academic year (AY) 2025/26 EMA/WGLG service review forums. We're running face-to-face and virtual sessions.

Face-to-face forums

  • 15 April: Maghera – Walsh’s Hotel, 3 Main St, Maghera BT46 5AA
  • 16 April: Belfast – Belfast Met College, 7 Queen’s road, Titanic Quarter Campus, Belfast BT3 9DT

Registration for face-to-face forums will run from 9am to 9:30am. There will be a working lunch from 12pm to 12:30pm. We'll provide tea and coffee and a light lunch.

Virtual sessions

Virtual forums will take place on Microsoft Teams from 21 to 23 April. The forums will run from 9:15am to 11:30am. Registration for the virtual forums will run from 9:15am to 9:30am.

  • 21 April – full
  • 22 April
  • 23 April

You can book a place at a forum by emailing emainfo@slc.co.uk.

EMA for academic year (AY) 2026/27

It will soon be time to start thinking of EMA for AY 2026/27. Please take the time to review your current learning agreement criteria for both attendance and bonuses. If your current criteria needs updated there is a template available on the LC Services website.

LC Portal opening early for Spring holidays

We're opening the LC Portal early for entries for the week ending 27 March. This means you can submit attendances from Thursday 26 March. This will mean allocations are in place before you break for the holidays.

Please make sure to mark the following weeks as holidays:
  • all weeks your Learning Centre is closed for holidays
  • all weeks your Learning Centre is only open for one day
This will mark all students as on holiday, meaning the portal is up to date. Please also check the unconfirmed weeks section of the portal for any outstanding student payments.

EMA service launch and application forms for AY 2026/27

The LC Portal and EMA application service will be available for AY 2026/27 from Friday 27 April.

We’ve provided ‘coming soon’ posters for you to display in areas where students will see them. You can download and print them from the LC Services website.

We'll start sending out your allocation of EMA application packs for AY 2026/27 on week starting Monday 23 March. If we sent you less than 20 forms in the past, we’ll no longer send you a delivery. You or your students can download and print the application forms and guidance from the NI Direct website.

EMA support desk

Our support desk team is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday to answer any day to day operational questions about individual students, application processing, payments and system issues.

You can contact the support desk on 0300 200 4050 (option 5) or email emainfo@slc.co.uk.