Workplus cares about your privacy and we respect your privacy rights. Workplus has created this Privacy Policy to set out how your data will be used and to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy.
About our privacy & Cookie policy
Workplus is the trading name of Workplus Apprenticeships Ltd, a company registered in Northern Ireland with company number NI660269.
Workplus Apprenticeships Ltd is the controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as “Workplus”, “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy policy).
This Privacy Policy sets out the basis upon which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us and your rights in relation to your personal data. This privacy policy supplements other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them.. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data, how we will treat it and your data protection rights.
Data we collect about you
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
Set out below are the categories of personal data that we collect in respect of each of the following activities:
Registering for our mailing list or for Workplus events
By registering for our mailing list or for a Workplus event, you acknowledge the collection and use of your personal data as outlined below:
· Identity Data such as title, first name, surname, gender, date of birth.
· Contact Data such as address, e–mail address, telephone number.
· Marketing and Communications Data such as your preferences in receiving marketing communications from us and third parties and your communication preferences.
· Technical Data such as internet protocol (IP) address, login data, 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 this website.
Please be aware that when you register for a Workplus event you will be automatically subscribed to the Workplus mailing list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer of our marketing emails. After this your data will no longer be available to us for mailing purposes.
Requesting that Workplus attends a school or Employer event
By contacting us to request that Workplus attends an event, you acknowledge the collection and use of your personal data as outlined below:
· Identity Data such as title, first name and surname
· Contact Data such as address, e–mail address, telephone number.
· Marketing and Communications Data such as your preferences in receiving marketing communications from us and third parties and your communication preferences.
· Technical Data such as internet protocol (IP) address, login data, 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 this website.
When you request that Workplus attends an event, you will be automatically subscribed to the Workplus mailing list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer of our marketing emails. After this your data will no longer be available to us for mailing purposes.
Provision of an Employer/Apprentice introduction service
Workplus is engaged by businesses who are seeking apprentices and seeks to introduce potential candidates to those businesses. If you wish to apply for apprenticeship position advertised on our Website please follow the link to the Workplus applicant portal.
When you apply for an apprenticeship position, Workplus will collect and gather the following categories of personal data:
· Identity Data such as title, first name, surname, gender, date of birth.
· Contact Data such as address, e–mail address, telephone number.
· Profile Data such as employment details, education history, your interests.
· Usage Data such as information about how you use the Workplus applicant portal and service.
· Marketing and Communications Data such as your preferences in receiving marketing communications from us and third parties and your communication preferences.
· Technical Data such as internet protocol (IP) address, login data, 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 this website.
We may also:
· collect, use and share aggregated data such as statistical or demographic data. Aggregated data may be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data under applicable data protection law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity; and
· collect Special Categories of Personal Data about you.
Please be aware that we act as an introduction service only between Employers and apprentices. We do not offer employment directly.
Workplus is the data controller, responsible for your personal data during the application process. However, this data will be shared with Employers, colleges, universities and representative bodies as part of the application process. We encourage you to read these individual organisation privacy policies.
This privacy policy supplements other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them. Workplus does not vet or monitor the Employer’s individual job specifications and is not responsible for the data protection practices of Employers.
How we collect personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you (e.g. Terms of Use) and you don’t provide that personal data when requested, we may not be able to provide you with all or part of the relevant service.
Methods used to collect personal data from and about you
We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:
Direct interactions: You may give us your Identity, Contact, Profile, Usage, Marketing and Communications Data by populating your online profile, filling in online forms or by communicating with us. If you are a registered user who applies for an advertised job via the Workplus applicant portal, Employers will receive your application and personal data associated with it. The personal data we receive from direct interactions with you includes personal data you provide when you:
· create a user account on the Workplus applicant portal and when you add to and manage your personal profile;
· make an application to an Employer;
· subscribe to our mailing list;
· contact or communicate with Employers and/or Workplus; and
· make your profile data, as described above, available on the Workplus applicant portal for third parties, to browse in connection with employment, or other educational opportunities (if you have permitted FE Colleges/Ulster University to receive your details).
Automated technologies or interactions: our service providers may collect data through automatic technologies or interaction. Please refer to their privacy policies for information on how they use your personal information.
How we use your personal data
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
· Where we need to perform the contract (e.g. the Terms of Use) we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
· 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.
· Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data. We may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your personal data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data.
We use your personal data in the following ways:
We will collect and use your Identity, Contact, Profile, Usage, Marketing and Communication Data to:
1. register you for our mailing list or for Workplus events;
2. share your details with registered Employers who will:
· Assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role;
· Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable;
· Communicate with you about the recruitment process;
· Keep records related to our hiring processes;
· Comply with legal or regulatory requirements;
3. share your name and email address with the professional body associated with your type of apprenticeship.
4. improve and protect the Workplus applicant portal;
5. to communicate with you in regards to changes to the Workplus applicant portal or maintenance; and
6. sending training or educational opportunities from trusted third party partners such as FE Colleges and/or Universities where you have given consent.
· We will collect and use your Identity, Contact and Profile Data to provide Employers with the information that you submit to the Workplus applicant portal in response to job specifications posted by Employers in relation to apprenticeship employment opportunities on the Workplus applicant portal (“Job Specification”). This is necessary in order to perform our contract (e.g. Terms of Use) with you. Details of your application for a Job Specification will only be shared with the Employer recruiting for the role in question.
· We will collect and use Profile and Usage Data for data analytics purposes to improve the Workplus applicant portal, products/services, marketing, user/ Employers relationships and experience. This is necessary for our legitimate interest to ensure that the Workplus applicant portal is presented in an effective manner for you and for your computer or device.
· A registered Employer may use your Identity and Contact Data to contact you where you are a registered user or if you have responded to a Job Specification. This is necessary for us to perform our contract (e.g. Terms of Use) with you and our legitimate interest to perform services for Employers.
· We will collect and use Identity, Contact, Profile and Usage Data to allow you to participate in interactive features on the Workplus applicant portal and services, when you choose to do so. This is necessary for us to perform our contract (e.g. Terms of Use) with you.
· We will collect and use Identity, Contact, Profile, Marketing and Communications Data to manage our relationship with you which will include notifying you about changes to our Workplus applicant portal, service, terms and/or Privacy Policy. This is necessary for us (i) to perform our contract (e.g. Terms of Use) with you; and (ii) to comply with a legal obligation.
· We will collect and use Identity and Contact Data to administer and protect our business and the Workplus applicant portal (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data) which is necessary (i) for our legitimate interests (for running the Workplus applicant portal), provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and (ii) to comply with a legal obligation.
Marketing
We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer of our marketing emails. After this your data will no longer be available to us for mailing purposes.
Opting out
You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt–out links on any marketing message sent to you.
Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided for any of the other purposes outlined above.
Cookies
Our Website may use cookies to enhance user experience. Your web browser places cookies on your hard drive for record–keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about you. You may choose to set your web browser to disable or refuse some or all cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may become inaccessible or not function properly.
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Disclosure of personal data to others
Except as set out in this Privacy Policy, we do not disclose to any third party personal data that we collect or you provide to us. We may disclose your personal data to third parties expressly mentioned in this Privacy Policy and the following third parties:
· Employers to whom you submit job applications via the Workplus applicant portal;
· College, universities and representative bodies
· where we contract other entities that perform certain tasks on our behalf and who are under our control (“Service Providers”). This is required in order to provide and manage the Workplus applicant portal and services. Such Service Providers include IT systems suppliers and support, data storage, IT developers, insurance, credit card companies, payment processors, analytics companies, Workplus applicant portal hosting providers and other service providers;
· professional advisors such as accountants, auditors, lawyers, bankers, insurers, and other outside professional advisors; or
· entities that regulate or have jurisdiction over Workplus. We will disclose your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, if we are ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction, law enforcement, regulatory or administrative authorities or in order to enforce or abide by other agreements, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Workplus or our Employers, Workplus applicant portal users or others. This includes exchanging personal data with third parties for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our Service Providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions. Unless prevented by applicable law, we will notify you when your personal data may be provided to third parties in ways other than explained above, and you may have the option to prevent such sharing at the time that we notify you.
Employer control of your personal data
If you respond to a Job Specification or otherwise communicate with Employers via the Workplus applicant portal the relevant Employer will control the personal data you disclose to them. This will typically relate to your Identity, Contact and Profile Data. Employers can access this personal data in their Workplus applicant portal user account. Workplus and Employers jointly control your data and we have arrangements in place intended to ensure your personal data is only used by Employers in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
If an Employer to whom you or we have disclosed any of your personal data downloads or copies the personal data to a medium other than our Workplus applicant portal, Workplus will no longer jointly control this personal data. Such data will be subject to the Employer’s own data protection and privacy practices. If you wish to understand the Employer’s data protection and privacy practices please contact the Employer directly. You will be able to exercise your Data Protection Rights directly with the Employer.
International data transfers
Your personal data may be transferred, stored and accessed within the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or transferred to, stored in, and accessed from countries outside the EEA in order to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. For transfers to countries outside the EEA, the data protection regime may be different than in the country in which you are located and will therefore be based on a legally adequate transfer method. Whenever Workplus transfers your personal data out of the EEA, we ensure a similar degree of protection is given to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:
· The country has been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the European Commission. For further details, see European Commission: Adequacy of the protection of personal data in non–EU countries.
· We may use specific contracts approved by the European Commission which give personal data the same protection it has in Europe. For further details, see European Commission: Model contracts for the transfer of personal data to third countries.
· Where service providers are based in the US, we may transfer data to them if they are part of the EU–U.S. Privacy Shield which requires them to provide similar protection to personal data shared between the Europe and the US. For further details, see European Commission: EU–US Privacy Shield.
We will provide you on request a list of the countries located outside the EEA to which personal data may be transferred, and an indication of whether they have been determined by the European Commission to grant adequate protection to personal data. Where applicable, you are entitled, upon request to receive a copy of the relevant safeguard (for example, EC model contractual clauses) that has been taken to protect personal data during such transfer.
Data security
Workplus is committed to protecting the personal data you provide us. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure of personal data under our control, Workplus has appropriate security management systems in place to safeguard the personal data we collect and the organisation is certified ISO 27001. Firewalls, intrusion detection and virus scanners are used on all parts of our website and the Workplus applicant portal. Encryption during transmission is also used on sections of the Workplus applicant portal where security is particularly important. While Workplus makes reasonable efforts to protect all personal data, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result Workplus cannot ensure or warrant the security of any personal data you transmit to us, you do so at your own risk. You acknowledge that we are not responsible for any intercepted information sent via the Internet, and you hereby waive, release and discharge us from any and all claims arising out of or related to the use of intercepted information in any unauthorised manner.
When you disclose personal data, or request us to make your personal data available, to Employers on the Workplus applicant portal (e.g. by applying to an Employer using the Workplus applicant portal) that personal data will be used by the Employer for its own purposes (e.g. to contact you, arrange an interview, review your suitability for a particular position) and such third party purposes and activities are beyond the control of other Employers and Workplus.
Workplus has implemented appropriate technical and organisations measures to avoid data security breaches. However, in the event that a data security breach happens, we recognise that it is important that the Organisation is able to detect it and react swiftly and robustly in order to mitigate any risks to data subjects and to comply with our obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’). For more details regarding this, please contact richard@workplus.app
Updating your personal data
It is important that the personal data we hold is accurate and current. Please keep us informed, using the Your Account section on the Workplus applicant portal or alternatively let us know by using the Contact Us information below if any of your personal data changes during your relationship with us. It is your responsibility to keep your personal data up to date at all times.
Data retention
Workplus will retain personal data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose we collected it for. 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 unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and applicable legal requirements.
Workplus will retain your personal information for a period of twelve months after the recruitment process is complete. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you so that we can show, amongst other things, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. Further, we wish to retain your personal information on file, on the basis that a further opportunity may arise with another Employer and we may wish to forward your details to be considered for the role. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal information in accordance with our data retention policy. Please check individual Employer’s websites for specific privacy policies for further details.
In some circumstances we will anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.
Your legal rights
Under certain circumstances you have rights under applicable data protection law in relation to personal data, namely the right to:
· Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
· Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.
· Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
· Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
· Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data’s accuracy; (b) where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
· Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine–readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
· Withdraw consent at any time if and to the extent we are relying on consent as the legal basis to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.
Regarding your right to have your personal data erased, you can delete your user account at any time. Deleting your user account deletes records of job applications sent, CVs and cover letters stored in your account, your profile, saved jobs and job alerts. Once your user account is deleted, it is gone forever and cannot be restored. Some personal data however may still be stored and visible in other places on the Workplus applicant portal. For example, if you have applied for a job, your application information including your name, email, CV and cover letter may still be visible to the Employer in their user account on the Workplus applicant portal. We will endeavour to contact Employers we know who have accessed your personal data within the previous 18 months and inform them of your request to erase your personal data. However, if you have any concerns and wish for us to contact the respective Employers immediately to request the deletion of your data, please contact us on richard@workplus.app
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
In order to exercise one or more of your rights in respect of your personal data, you can email the Data Protection Officer richard@workplus.app. We will respond to your request(s) as soon as reasonably practicable, but in any case within the legally required period of time.
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s
Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the Information Commissioner’s Office so please contact us in the first instance.
Changes to our privacy policy
Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page. You should visit this page periodically to review any changes to the Privacy Policy.
Training our staff
All our employees that handle personal information of individuals will have a basic understanding of the data protection legislation, including the GDPR. Staff with duties such as computer and internet security, marketing and database management have specialist training to make them aware of particular data protection requirements in their work area.
We provide them with continuous training and updates on how to process personal data in a secure and confidential manner and in accordance with the spirit of the data protection legislation, including the GDPR and our ISO 27001 accreditation.
Staff regularly review all your data processing activities and ensure that they are acting in accordance with the most current best practice and legal obligations in relation to data security and confidentiality.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact Workplus Apprenticeships Ltd using the following details:
Workplus, Ormeau Baths, 18 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, BT2 8HS