Privacy Policy

Effective Skills Training Ltd.

1. Introduction:

Effective Skills Training Ltd. (referred to as "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and disclose your data under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This policy applies to all individuals whose personal data we process, including learners, website visitors, and others who interact with us.

2. Data Controller:

Effective Skills Training Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data.

3. Information We Collect:

We may collect the following types of personal data:

Identity Data: Includes your name, title, date of birth, and gender.
Contact Data: Includes your address, email address, and telephone numbers.
Enrolment Data: Includes details of the training programs you enrol in, your enrolment dates, and any prior qualifications relevant to your enrolment.
Assessment Data: Includes records of your assessments, grades, feedback, and certification status.
Financial Data: Includes payment information (although we strive to minimise the storage of sensitive payment details and often use secure third-party payment processors).
Technical Data: Includes your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our website.
Usage Data: Includes information about how you use our website, products, and services.
Marketing and Communications Data: Includes your preferences in receiving marketing communications from us and your communication preferences.
Special Categories of Data: In some limited circumstances, we may collect special categories of personal data (e.g., information about disabilities or health conditions) if you provide it to us for reasonable adjustments or health and safety reasons. We will only process this data with your explicit consent or where otherwise permitted by law.

4. How We Collect Your Data:

We collect personal data through various means, including:

Direct Interactions: You may provide us with your data when you:
- Register for our training programs.
- Complete forms on our website.
- Contact us by phone, email, or in person.
- Participate in surveys or provide feedback.
- Subscribe to our newsletters or marketing communications.
Automated Technologies or Interactions: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. We use cookies and other similar technologies for this purpose. Our Cookie Policy is available at [Insert Link to Cookie Policy if applicable].
Third Parties: We may receive personal data about you from third parties such as:
- Employers who sponsor your training.
- Accreditation bodies or awarding organisations.
- Publicly available sources.

5. How We Use Your Data:

We will only use your data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your data in the following circumstances:

Performance of a Contract: Where it is necessary to perform a contract, we have with you (e.g., to provide the training program you have enrolled in).
Legitimate Interests: Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Our legitimate interests include:
- Administering and managing our training programs.
- Communicating with you about your enrolment and our services.
- Ensuring the security of our systems.
- Improving our website and services.
- Conducting marketing activities (where you have not objected).
- Maintaining our records.

Legal Obligation: Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
Consent: You have given us explicit permission to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., for certain types of marketing or the processing of special categories of data). You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

We may use your data for purposes such as:

Processing your registration and managing your enrolment.
Delivering the training programs, you have enrolled in.
Assessing your progress and awarding certifications.
Communicating with you about your training, updates, and relevant information.
Providing customer support.
Administering and improving our website and services.
Sending you marketing communications (under your preferences).
Complying with legal and regulatory requirements.

6. Disclosure of Your Data:

We may share your data with the following categories of third parties for the purposes outlined above:

Service Providers: Third-party service providers who provide services on our behalf, such as IT support, website hosting, payment processing, email delivery, and marketing services. We require these providers to process your data per our instructions and protection laws.
Accreditation Bodies and Awarding Organisations: Where necessary for the purpose of accreditation or certification of our training programs.
Employers: If your employer sponsors your training, we may share information about your enrollment, progress, and completion.
Legal and Regulatory Authorities: We must disclose your data to comply with a legal obligation, court order, or regulatory request.
Professional Advisors: Such as lawyers, accountants, and auditors.
Potential Buyers: In the event of a business transfer, such as a merger or sale of assets.

We will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place when transferring your data to third parties.

7. International Transfers:

We may transfer your data to countries outside the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). Where we do so, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, such as relying on adequacy decisions or implementing Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the relevant authorities.

8. Data Security:

We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include:

Encryption of data where appropriate.
Secure storage of physical and digital records.
Access controls limit who can access your personal data.
Regular security assessments and updates.
Staff training on data protection.

9. Data Retention:

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your data, the purposes for which we process your data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

Typically, we will retain learner records for 4 years after they complete their training and financial records for 5 years to comply with tax regulations. Marketing data will be retained until you unsubscribe.

10. Your Legal Rights:

Under data protection laws, you have several rights about your data, including:

The right to be informed: About how we collect and use your data (as set out in this policy).
The right of access: To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification: To request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): To request that we delete or remove your data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.
The right to restrict processing: To request that we suspend the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
The right to data portability: To request that we transfer your data to another party in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
The right to object: To object to the processing of your data in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes.
Rights about automated decision-making and profiling: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided below. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

11. Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies:

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect information about your use of our site. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. For more information, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

12. Links to Third-Party Websites:

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy:

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website. The latest update date will be indicated at the top of the policy.

14. Contact Us:

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

By email: info@effectiveskillstraining.com

15. Right to Lodge a Complaint:

If you believe that we have not complied with data protection laws, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. The ICO website has more information: https://ico.org.uk/.