Skills Connect Network – Privacy Notice

This privacy notice relates to the Skills Connect Network only. If this isn't what you're looking for, please refer to the wider Skills Connect and Future Bright privacy notice.

 

Skills Connect Network (SCN) is funded and run by the West of England Combined Authority in partnership with the Local Councils for Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire.

Participation in this network is voluntary, and your choice should be informed.

Before you choose whether you want to become a SCN participant, we would like to explain a few things about our use of your “personal data” in this network and how we will protect your privacy rights. After you have read this privacy notice, and understood what it says, you will be asked if you would like to participate in Skills Connect Network.

Who are “we”?

West of England Combined Authority (or The Combined Authority) is the data controller for SCN. That means we have responsibility to keep your personal data safe, for using it lawfully, and for ensuring your rights to privacy are respected.

What is your “Personal Data”?

Personal data is information which is about you, and which identifies you as an individual. This means it could be used to make decisions which have a direct impact on you. The purpose of this notice is to explain how we will use the information you give to us if you become a participant of the network, and what we will use it for. This network is led by the West of England Combined Authority.

Data protection law sets down the rules for the Data Controller (the West of England Combined Authority), and rights for the people (known as “data subjects”) whose information is held by them (such as you).

Transparency: what we need to tell you

As a data subject, you have rights under the law of data protection. You have the right to be informed by us about:

  • what personal data we would collect from you as a network participant
  • how we would use it, and for what purpose
  • who we would share your information with, and why?
  • your other data subject rights and how to exercise them
  • retention periods for your personal data

What is our legal basis for using your information for Skills Connect Network (SCN)?

Data protection rules set out certain conditions which must be met for the lawful use of other people’s information. We are also obliged to tell you which condition applies to SCN and its participants:

  • Participation in the network is voluntary and we require you to read through this privacy notice to ensure you understand how we process your data.
  • To ensure we can fulfil our responsibility for members of the network, we capture personal information.
  • The West of England Combined Authority are public authorities with official functions which are defined in Government Legislation. We have “official authority” for our involvement in this project, including its use of participant information, because it is in line with this official role and our related responsibilities, and we, therefore, process your personal data in accordance with Article6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation.

Purposes: Why do we want to use your information?

We collect your data to deliver the SCN service to you. The primary aim of the network is around knowledge transfer. Connecting those working in employment support in the West of England (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset) with relevant information which will help them direct and deliver support to our residents. Project specific information related to employment and training provisions, events, insights and related information (this could include case studies, best practice or learnings for example) will be shared through a regular email network, and through regular network meetings.

What kind of personal data will we collect and record?

We will ask you to provide the following types of information: Your name, your email address, job title, and the name of the organisation you work for. These details will be stored on a database.

How will we use your information?

We will use the information you provide to include you in our regular email network and to invite you to our network meetings.

Only a small number of people who are working for us on this project will be allowed to see the information which can identify you as an individual. They will only use this personal data to:

  • Deliver services that form the regular services of the network to you.
  • To contact you about your participation in the network; to ask about your experience as a participant to be able to review the delivery and operation of SCN. This may be whilst you are in the network, or after if you choose to leave. This may be conducted internally or by an external agent.
  • To monitor the delivery of the network and to perform research and statistical work.
  • To allow required audits to be carried out – to ensure quality and compliance.
  • To make you aware of any updates, changes, or promotions in relation to SCN.

Statistics, drawn from the participant information held on the SCN database, will be used to evaluate and report on the network. We report to Government, Local Authorities and partners about the outputs and outcomes of the project to demonstrate the impact of the project and this information may be published.

Your information will not be used for profiling or to make automated decisions.

You may be asked if you would like to share your own story as a SCN participant and be considered for a “case study”. This may then be published in line with your preferences selected on the form, but this would be fully explained at the time.

How do we protect your information?

We are committed to do all that we can to keep your data secure. We have set up systems and processes to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure of your data. Your details will be stored by us on a secure Database. The record will include information which can identify you (such as your name and contact details). Access to these databases will be restricted to those who are entitled to view and process your data. If the information is collected in a paper format, we will also ensure it is kept secure and destroyed when no longer required.

Some information may be stored outside of the database, and we’ll do what we can to make sure we hold records about you in a secure way, and we’ll only make them available to those who have a right to see them. Examples of our security may include:

  • Encryption, meaning that information is hidden so that it cannot be read without special knowledge (such as a password).
  • Pseudonymisation, meaning that we’ll use a different name so we can hide parts of your personal information from view. This means that someone outside of the organisation could work on your information for us without ever knowing it was yours.
  • Controlling access to systems and networks allowing us to stop people who are not allowed to view your personal information from getting access to it.
  • Training for our staff to make them aware of how to handle information and how and when to report when something goes wrong.

Confidentiality and sharing of your personal data with others

We want you to feel you can speak freely and openly in discussions with the Skills Connect Network. Personal information which you choose to share with us will be treated as confidential. This means it will not be accessed internally by any of our staff, except where required to provide you with support opportunities.

Information which can identify you (including information such as your name, address and contact details) will only be accessed by authorised personnel working on SCN. This may include other departments within the West of England Combined Authority. Personnel includes both employees and any external agents/partner organisations who may be contracted by any Party to work for SCN, and who are legally bound to comply with that Party’s data protection instructions and policies about use of participants’ personal data.

As a network participant, you will be advised on opportunities available to support the participants you work with. This may include various forms of training and/or support. Often training and support services will be delivered by external providers. If you or anyone you work with choose to proceed with any support discussed, we may need to give the provider personal details such as your name and contact details so that you can be enrolled on, and contacted about, the course or support service.

How long will we keep your personal data?

Information which can identify you will be retained for a maximum period of 1 year from when your participation has ceased on the network. Information which cannot identify you will be retained after this period and will be used only for statistical and research purposes.

Legislation tells us how long we need to keep some information to perform any statutory or contractual duties.

What happens if you no longer wish to participate in the programme?

You may choose to withdraw from your participation in SCN at any time.

It would be valuable for us to understand why the network is no longer of interest to you so we would simply ask you for your feedback on your experience and reasons for withdrawal.

If at this point you do not want us to contact you again, we will respect your wishes and ensure that no further contact is made unless you tell us you have changed your mind. Your information will be retained on our secure system in case you choose to participate again in the future. You may also request that we remove any details which can identify you from our records and we shall do so.

You have the right to refuse information or object to the usage of your information

You have the right to refuse to provide information which is requested of you. In some cases, your refusal may mean you can no longer be a SCN participant, but we will explain this to you before you decide.

You also have the right to object to our use of your information. This means you can request that we stop using any information that you have already given which can be used to identify you, and request that we delete this from our database. It also means that you can ask us to put a hold on any automated destruction, if you wish the data to be remained beyond the retention period.

You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you.

To request a copy of your records you may submit a “Subject Access Request”. Your request for your records must be in writing and may be sent to us by post or email (see contact details below). To confirm your identity your request should include copies of an identity document (e.g., your driving licence or passport) and proof of your address (e.g., a copy of a utility bill or bank statement).

You have the right to rectify any incorrect or incomplete data we hold about you and can contact us with the contact details below.

Full details about your rights as an individual can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/individual-rights/

Contact for privacy concerns and Subject Access Requests

If you have any questions or concerns about our handling of your personal data, or if you wish to submit a Subject Access Request, please contact the Data Protection Officer at West of England Combined Authority. See details below:

Data Protection Officer
West of England Combined Authority
70 Redcliff Street, Bristol
BS1 6AL

Or email the Data Protection Officer at ig@westofengland-ca.org.uk

For requests to access a copy of the personal data held on you contact
West of England Combined Authority contact: skillsconnect@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

Your right to appeal

If you are not satisfied by our response to your concerns, you may lodge a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is the regulator for data protection issues. They will investigate your complaint and decide about what we need to do.

You can find out how to make a complaint here: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/. It should be noted, however, that the ICO don’t tend to investigate a complaint until the organisation under consideration have had the opportunity to respond to the complaint first.

Through the above link you can contact them through their live chat or their online form. Alternatively, you can call them on 0303 123 1113.