# LARS Funding & Validity Change Signals (`starshaped_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals`) Actor

Track official LARS learning aim and apprenticeship standard funding and validity changes.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/starshaped\_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals.md
- **Developed by:** [Starshape Tools](https://apify.com/starshaped_bullsnake) (community)
- **Categories:** Education
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 lars funding or validity signals

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## LARS Funding & Validity Change Signals

Tracks meaningful changes in the Department for Education's official Learning Aim Reference Service (LARS), rather than returning a directory dump. It is intended for training providers, apprenticeship operations teams, funding-data teams, and monitoring workflows.

### Official source and licence

The Actor downloads the current official LARS CSV ZIP from [Find a learning aim downloads](https://submit-learner-data.service.gov.uk/find-a-learning-aim/DownloadData). It reads LearningDelivery, Validity, Funding, Standard, StandardValidity, and StandardFunding. The page states that content is available under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). Attribution: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

### Signals

Supported: `NEW_LEARNING_AIM`, `AIM_NO_LONGER_VALID`, `VALIDITY_START_CHANGED`, `VALIDITY_END_CHANGED`, `FUNDING_STATUS_CHANGED`, `FUNDING_RATE_CHANGED`, `NEW_APPRENTICESHIP_STANDARD`, `STANDARD_WITHDRAWN`, `TITLE_CHANGED`, `LEVEL_CHANGED`, and `FUNDING_EFFECTIVE_DATE_CHANGED`. Funding rate and comparable field signals require non-null values on both sides. Withdrawal signals require an official end-date transition; disappearance alone is ignored.

Stable keys are `LearnAimRef` for learning aims and `StandardCode` for standards. Normalized full snapshots retain titles, types, levels, validity periods, funding categories, rates and effective dates.

### Running

The first live run creates a full baseline and emits zero signals. Later runs diff the complete official state. LARS is updated on a planned maintenance schedule; a weekly schedule is a practical default.

```json
{ "mode": "live", "signalTypes": ["FUNDING_RATE_CHANGED"], "maxItems": 1000 }
```

`maxItems` limits Dataset output only. Filters do not truncate the snapshot. Sample mode uses deterministic before/after fixtures through the production normalizer, diff and filter, never opens production storage, and reports `snapshotUpdated: false`.

```json
{ "signalType": "FUNDING_RATE_CHANGED", "entityKind": "learningAim", "identifier": "A4", "previousValue": 1000, "currentValue": 1200, "signalSummary": "FUNDING RATE CHANGED: A4", "sourceUrl": "https://submit-learner-data.service.gov.uk/find-a-learning-aim/DownloadData" }
```

### Storage, compute, and limitations

The compressed persistent KVS snapshot contains every normalized entity; each signal is one Dataset item. Live runs download and parse a large ZIP and need substantially more memory and time than sample runs. Source/schema and count-collapse guards prevent snapshot replacement on suspicious input. The Actor reports official reference-data changes; it does not guarantee funding eligibility. Historical comparison begins only after the first successful baseline.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Live comparison or isolated deterministic sample.

## `signalTypes` (type: `array`):

Optional signal-type filter.

## `identifiers` (type: `array`):

Optional LearnAimRef, StandardCode, or standard reference filter.

## `entityKinds` (type: `array`):

Optional learningAim or apprenticeshipStandard filter.

## `baselineOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Refresh the full snapshot without emitting signals.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Caps Dataset output only; the full snapshot is always retained.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "live",
  "baselineOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `OUTPUT` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call starshaped_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,starshaped_bullsnake/lars-funding-validity-change-signals"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/vnr5F30XZ3Z6mRy8n/builds/CpG6ndTB873oSjcyA/openapi.json