This privacy notice tells you what to expect when Hartlepool College of Further Education collects personal information. It covers why we collect personal information, how we use it and how we keep it secure. It applies to information we collect about:
• Visitors to our website
• People who register to attend, or attend, one of the events run by Hartlepool College of Further Edcuation
• People who enquire about courses at Hartlepool College of Further Education.
• People who apply for courses
• People who phone the main college reception
We may change this policy from time to time, so please check this page occasionally to ensure you're still happy with the policy. By using the website, you're agreeing to the terms within this policy. We are committed to preserving the privacy of all visitors to our website and do not disclose personal data of our users to third-parties.
Who are we?
Hartlepool College of Further Education is a non-denominational mixed further education college based in Hartlepool, United Kingdom, providing courses to students aged 16 and over. The College has existed in several forms since 1897 but occupied its now familiar location on Stockton Street in the early 1960s. In 2006 plans were made to replace the College building with a modern, purpose-built campus with dedicated specialist areas in Engineering, Aerospace, Automotive, Environmental Technologies, Construction, Hospitality and Catering, Health and Beauty, Sport and many others. The new building was constructed between 2009 and 2011 at a cost of £53 million, The Corporation was established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and is an exempt charity for the purposes of the Charities Act 2011. We are registered with Ofsted with our registered address being: Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool TS24 7NT
How do we collect information from you?
Google Analytics
When someone visits our website we use a third-party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone.
Site search
Search terms used on our website are collected and processed anonymously to help improve our website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by the College.
Event registrations
When you register for, or attend, one of our events we will ask you to complete some basic information regarding your name, contact details, subject area(s) you are interested in studying and the level of study (full-time, undergraduate, apprenticeships or part-time). You may also be asked about your current situation, including school/college currently attending and likely year of entry. This data is collected to ensure we can provide you with the information that you may need to study with us, and improve the advice that we provide you with, as well as understand the geographic reach that we have as an educational provider. At the time of requesting the information your consent to process this data will be sought. This data will be held for a maximum of three years, or until the expected year of entry to the College (as determined by the information submitted and your date of birth) has passed.
Course enquiries
When you enquiry about a course, or request a prospectus, we will ask you for some basic information relating to your name, address, level of study and the subject areas you are interested in. You may also be asked to provide some information about where you are currently studying and when you are looking to join us, as well as how you heard about the College. This data is collected to help us provide you with the best possible service and refine our marketing channels. At the time of requesting this information your consent to process the data will be sought. This data will be held for a maximum of three years, or until the expected year of entry to the College (as determined by the information submitted and your date of birth) has passed.
Course applications
The personal information you provide when applying for a course is passed to the Skills Funding Agency and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Where necessary it is also shared with the Department for Education, including the Education Funding Agency. This information is used by these government departments to meet their statutory responsibilities and to create and maintain the unique learner number (ULN) and personal learning record (PLR). The information you provide may also be shared with other organisations for education, training, employment and well-being related purposes, including for research.
Phone calls
To maintain customer service standards, and assist in staff training, we may record and monitor incoming telephone calls. The information you supply will enable us to assist you with your enquiry and provide you with the best possible service. It could also enable us to contact you, where necessary, to follow up any questions you may have.
Social media
If you participate in any discussion on our social media platforms, you may provide us with information such as your name and address, email or phone number. We work to protect the security of the above information during transmission by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you input.
Marketing
We would like to send you information about our range of courses, and other services that we offer, which we feel may be of interest to you. If you have consented to receive promotional information from us, you may opt out at a later date.
You have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes. If you no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, please email us at enquiries@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk
We will not share your information for marketing purposes with third-party organisations outside of the Hartlepool College of Further Education.
Access to your information and correction
You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email lindsay.tait@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk or write to us at the following address; Lindsay Tait, Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool TS24 7NT. We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate.
Cookies
Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour information. This information is used to track visitor use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity.
Like many websites, we also obtain certain types of information when your web browser, or advertisements and other content served by or on behalf of Hartlepool College of Further Education on other websites. This information is used to provide measurement services and target advertisements. For further information visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser. However, in a few cases, some of our website features may not function as a result. More information about the cookies we use on our website is available in our Cookies Policy.
Other websites
This website may contain links to third-party websites and partner sites. We do not control and are not responsible for, the collation of any personal information by third parties whose privacy policy is different to ours. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.
Changes to our privacy policy
We keep our privacy notice under regular review and we will place any updates on this webpage.
How to contact us
Please contact us if you have any questions about this privacy policy, or information we hold about you: Email: gerald.nicholson@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk or by writing to: Gerald Nicholson, Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool TS24 7NT
This privacy notice has been prepared in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
