Privacy Policy updated August 2025

---

Privacy Policy and Website Privacy Policy 

This Privacy Policy describes Professional Skills Academy’s policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of your information when you use our websites, contact us, or become a student with us. It tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

By using our websites and contacting us, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

HOW WE COLLECT YOUR INFORMATION

We may collect your personal data in a number of ways, for example:

• From      the information you provide to us when you interact with us before      joining, for example when you express your interest in studying at      Professional Skills Academy.
• When      you apply to study at Professional Skills Academy and complete enrollment  forms via the admissions processes and procedures.
• When      you communicate with us by telephone, email or via our website or social      media, for example in order to make enquiries or raise concerns.
• In      various other ways as you interact with us during your time as a learner.
• From      third parties, for example from your previous or current school, sixth      form college, FE college or university or employers who may provide a      reference about you or who may sponsor your studies.

HOW WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Policy:

HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

The college must record and use some personal information about learners in order to provide our courses and to claim funding for them. Learner information is stored on our computer-based leaner records system. It is every learner’s right under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to request to see any personal information about them that the organisation is holding.

When you supply personal information, we have legal obligations towards you in the way we handle that data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, only collect the information we need, and we must explain how we will use it and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.

All staff at the college can access basic information about each learner, in order to help us support you. All staff must abide by the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation.

THE LAWFUL BASIS ON WHICH WE USE THIS INFORMATION

To conform with Article 6 and Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation, we collect and use your personal information under the lawful basis of meeting our contractual obligation, such as with Awarding Bodies or Funding Agency for the purposes of supporting your learning journey or claiming public money to fund your training programme.

THE CATEGORIES OF LEARNER INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT INCLUDE:

• Personal      information (such as name, unique learner number and address)
• Characteristics      (such as ethnicity, gender, language, nationality, country of birth)
• Attendance      information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence      reasons)
• Special      Educational Needs information
• Behavioural      information
• Assessment      information, and qualification achievements
• Relevant      medical information
• CCTV      images where installed at training premises
• Financial      information i.e. your bank details
• IP      address.

WHY WE COLLECT AND USE THIS INFORMATION

We use your personal data:

• to interact      with you before you are enrolled as a student, as part of the admissions      process (e.g. to send you a prospectus or answer enquiries about our      courses);
• once      you have enrolled, to provide you with the services as set out in your      Learning Agreement
• to support      learning
• to      monitor and report on learner progress
• to      provide appropriate pastoral care
• to      assess the quality of our services
• to      comply with the law regarding data sharing
• for      funding purposes
• to deal      with any concerns or feedback you may have;
• to meet      our compliance and regulatory obligations, such as compliance with      anti-money laundering laws and safeguarding requirements;
• for any      other purpose for which you provide us with your personal data.

COLLECTING LEARNER INFORMATION

Whilst the majority of learner information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain learner information to us or if you have a choice in this.

LINKS FROM OUR SITE

Our website may contain links to other websites. Please note that we have no control of websites outside our organisation if you provide information to a website to which we link, we are not responsible for its protection and privacy. You are advised to read the privacy policy statement of other websites prior to using them.

PEOPLE WHO USE OUR SERVICES

We hold the details you provide us with in order to deliver programmes of study, such as at our day release programmes and other services which meet your specific needs.

We only use these details to provide the service you have requested and for other closely related purposes. For example, we might use information about people who have enquired about a course to carry out a survey to find out if they are happy with the level of service they have received.

You are able to request that we stop contacting you at any time.

PEOPLE WHO REQUEST INFORMATION FROM US

If you request information from us by letter, telephone, email, submitting an enquiry on the website or from a sales appointment, we will make a record of that enquiry and will use the information you give us to provide you with a response. We will only use the information for these purposes and to provide a follow up service to ensure that we provided you with what you asked for.

You are able to request that we stop contacting you at any time.

Any emails sent to us, including attachments, may be monitored. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send us is in the bounds of the law.

SECURITY

We will hold your information securely.

To prevent unauthorised disclosure or access to your information, we have implemented organisational security safeguards.

STORING LEARNER DATA

We will hold your personal information in paper and electronic form. Your data will be securely destroyed as listed below. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

We keep your personal data for:

Course Applicant and public enquiries = Held for up to 9 months.

Learner enrolled and others formal customers = Help for up to 7 years from formal recorded contact date.

WHO WE SHARE LEARNER INFORMATION WITH

We could routinely share learner information (as part of organisation development) with:

• Education      and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
• Department      for Education (DfE)
• Local      Authorities
• Awarding      Bodies
• Police
• Other      bodies if required by the law
• Parents      and Guardians (for those aged 16-18 or 19-24 if you are a vulnerable      adult)
• for safeguarding      or the prevention and detection of crime.

WHY WE SHARE LEARNER INFORMATION

We do not share information about our learners with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

We could share learners’ data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing may underpin funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring.

REQUESTING ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Under data protection legislation, parents and learners have the right to request access to information about them that we hold and to have any inaccuracies corrected. To make a request for your personal information:- 

Contact: Data Protection Officer – Telephone 0161 915 1126

If you request information, we aim to provide this to you, where possible, within 30 days. Where this is not possible, we will keep you informed. You also have the right to:

• Object      to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing,      damage or distress.
• Prevent      processing for the purpose of direct marketing.
• Object      to decisions being taken by automated means.
• In      certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked,      erased or destroyed; and
• Claim compensation      for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations.

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at which we are registered to comply.

CONTROLLING INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

When you fill in a form or provide your details on our website, you may see one or more tick boxes allowing you to:

• opt in      to receive marketing communications from us by e-mail, telephone, text      message or post
• opt in      to receive marketing from our sponsors, third party partners by e-mail      telephone, text message or post.

If you have agreed that we can use your information for marketing purposes, you can change your mind by contacting methods:

Telephone 0161 915 1126 

Or postal mail to:-

Data Protection Officer

Professional Skills Academy
35 ST Lawrence Quay

Salford Quays

Salford, Greater Manchester.

M50 3XT
 

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We will keep this Privacy Notice under regular review and reserve the right to change it as necessary from time-to-time or if required by law. Any changes will immediately apply.

CONTACT

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact:
Data Protection Officer

Professional Skills Academy
35 ST Lawrence Quay

Salford Quays

Salford, Greater Manchester.

M50 3XT

 

Our Privacy Policy was last updated on 26th August 2025