Privacy Statement of SQT Training Ltd

SQT is committed to collecting, processing, storing, and destroying all information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Irish data protection law, and any other associated legal, accreditation, or regulatory body rules or codes of conduct that apply to our business and/or the information we process and store. This policy now also applies to data collected during online and blended learning programmes delivered via platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams, and Moodle.

This privacy notice outlines the policy of SQT Training Ltd. concerning the Personal Information (as defined below) it collects and processes. This notice explains how SQT collects, uses, and shares your personal data. It also explains your rights in relation to the personal data we hold.

Any questions regarding this privacy notice and our privacy policies and practices should be sent by email to info@sqt-training.co.uk or by writing to SQT Training Ltd, Callan Centre, National Technology Park, Limerick, Ireland. Alternatively, you can telephone 061-339040.

Who are we?

SQT Training Ltd was founded in 1989 and is a specialist provider of bespoke training programmes that help organisations become leaner, more compliant and more progressive. We offer approximately 180 courses across three broad categories namely:

Lean Six Sigma, Process and Project Management
Compliance, Standards and Auditing
Leadership and Personal Development

The registered address is Callan Centre, National Technology Park, Limerick, Ireland.

Why do we collect personal information?

SQT processes personal information for purposes associated with the administration of

a client company / SQT relationship or
learner / SQT relationship

in order to fulfil contractual and educational obligations.

In the case of SQT staff, information is collected for the purpose of recruitment, selection and employment matters. The purposes for which personal information is collected and processed by SQT include:

To administer your studies, record academic achievements and determine/record your overall award outcome
To support you in your studies i.e. we may use information you have given us (e.g. disability) and information we collect about your engagement with services (e.g. Moodle)
To monitor and evaluate the student experience
To carry out audits (internal and external)
To administer the financial aspects for your registration as a student (e.g. payment of fees, debt collection)
To enable effective communication with you
To administer appeals, complaints, grievances, disciplinary matters, and matters relating to conduct and cheating / plagiarism
To ensure your health and safety whilst on programme
To produce reports and aggregated statistics for management and statutory purposes in order to plan and improve services
To administer voluntary surveys of student opinion about your experience and the performance of the organisation
To confirm the details of your academic achievements, and for statistical and historical purposes, a core record of your studies is retained indefinitely
To enable our continued contact with you after you complete your programme (e.g. survey of graduates etc.)
To respond to requests for information made under the Data Protection legislation
To manage your user accounts and data related to virtual learning platforms and third-party services used in your learning
To ensure appropriate measures for data protection during online delivery of courses, including use of secure, encrypted platforms for communication
To facilitate participation in synchronous online training via platforms such as Zoom and MS Teams, including session recordings (with explicit consent) where applicable
To monitor your participation in online activities such as live sessions and virtual assessments
Recruitment, selection and employment matters (for staff)
SQT holds personal data in order to implement and manage services & processes relating to your learner recruitment, admission, registration, teaching & learning, examinations, and other support services. Without this information, SQT would not be able to provide its services. SQT only obtains & processes information required for these purposes. SQT shares information internally and with Tutors for operational reasons only as is necessary & proportionate for the purposes intended.

The lawful basis by which SQT processes personal information are as follows:

processing is necessary for the delivery of training and education programmes to which the information subject is party or in order to deal with requests for course information prior to booking onto a course (legitimate basis)
the information subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal information for one or more specific purposes (this is the case for further course or career information and updates from SQT)
processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which SQT or the data controller is subject (in the case of QQI programmes). The following website sets out a Q&A for learners who have registered for a QQI programme https://qhelp.qqi.ie/learners/gdpr—my-data/

How do we collect personal information?

SQT collects personal information in a number of ways:

Directly from you – such as information you provide when

you enquire about a programme
you complete registration forms (online or hard copy applications)
you supply supplementary information such as evidence of past education
you communicate with SQT by telephone, email or via our website to make enquiries or raise concerns and in various other ways as you interact with SQT
you submit assessments by post or via our secure VLE (Moodle)
you register to receive newsletters or course information specific to you
you provide course feedback via an online form or hardcopy form
You participate in synchronous online sessions (e.g., via Zoom or MS Teams), where data such as chat logs and video recordings (with consent) may be collected for educational purposes
From third-party services integrated into online learning platforms, such as polling tools or collaborative platforms which may collect engagement data.

From third parties – such as from employers or State funded programmes (Skillnet or similar programmes) who may be registering delegates on a programme

What type of information is collected from you and processed by SQT?

Personal information is sought for delegates attending training programmes or for those wishing to receive communications from SQT (email addresses only). For the purpose of registering on a course, personal information we collect is dependent on the training course and may include the following:

Name
PPS Number (mandatory requirement for QQI courses only)
Gender
Date of Birth
Nationality
Mobile No.
Email Address
Relevant educational information
Relevant employment information
Health information (this is only required to provide evidence for assessment extension requests and to support applications for delegates with specific learning difficulties)
Whether or not English is your first language
Engagement with IT system such as Moodle
Credit card details (processed in real time but not stored with SQT)
Disciplinary information
Assessment scripts and results
Participation data for online learning activities such as chat logs, polling results, and recordings from virtual classrooms (with consent)
IP address and device information (collected during online sessions to ensure security and compliance with platform use)

Individual Rights

You have the following rights, subject to certain exemptions, in relation to your data:

The right to be informed about the data processing SQT carries out on your personal data
The right to request access to your personal data held by SQT – to have a copy of the personal data that we hold about you
The right to rectification – to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data rectified
The right to erasure of personal data where there is no legitimate reason for the organisation to continue to process your personal data
The right to restrict the processing of personal data – you have the right to block the processing of your personal data in specific situations
The right to data portability – you have the right to request that the organisation provides some elements of your information (e.g. academic progress records) in a commonly used machine readable format in order to provide it to other organisations
The right to object – you can object to the processing of your personal data by the organisation in certain circumstances, including the sending & receipt of correspondence relating to upcoming courses etc.
The right to object to automated decision making & profiling. SQT does not currently make decisions affecting students by automatic means without human intervention.

Who has access to your information?

SQT may disclose your personal information to other organisations or third parties in connection with the above purposes, including:

Funding bodies and agencies that support or sponsor a programme – to enable you to participate on a programme
Training Partners and Tutors – to enable SQT to provide you with the services under the terms of our contract with you
Awarding bodies and External Examiners – to comply with our statutory obligations
Third party service providers such as IT Service Providers, Web hosting company, Email Marketing Automation provider, Archive Shredding company etc. – to help us run our business effectively and to store data, for IT security and service issues and for our legitimate business purposes
Employers – certificates of attendance and grades are provided to employers who have funded the programme
Department of Social Protection to verify employment status and eligibility for allowances
Potential employers/recruitment companies for verification of qualifications
Credit card payment provider
Third-party service providers such as Zoom, MS Teams, and Moodle for synchronous and asynchronous training delivery
External examiners who may access online assessment results through secure digital platforms

This is not an exhaustive list and any other disclosures to third parties not listed here are made only where there is legitimate reason to do so and in accordance with the law.

How long do SQT retain personal information?

SQT are committed to the principle of lifelong learning and we recognise that our learners may need our support into the future. We retain basic learner data indefinitely should learners require proof of education for the purposes of employment or further education at some date in the future.

Individuals can request to be removed from our records by contacting info@sqt-training.co.uk.

While basic data is retained, other data such as feedback forms, assessments, booking forms etc. are deleted. A retention schedule is maintained.

Life Long Learning Communications

You have a choice about whether or not you wish to receive information from us. If you do not want to receive information regarding training and career advice you can select your choices by ticking the relevant boxes situated on the enquiry form, course booking form or on the course assessment form which is completed at the end of each course.

We will not contact you with such information unless you have given your prior consent. You can change your communication preferences at any time by contacting us by email: info@sqt-training.co.uk or by telephone 061-339040.

How you can access, update and erase your information

The accuracy of your information is important to us. You have the right to ask for a copy of the information that SQT Training Ltd hold about you. If you change email address, or any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please contact us via email to info@sqt-training.co.uk or by writing to SQT Training Ltd, Callan Centre, National Technology Park, Limerick, Ireland to make the request. Alternatively, you can telephone 061-339040.

Use of Cookies

SQT Training website uses cookies. Additionally, our VLE (Moodle) and other integrated platforms may use cookies to track user engagement with course materials and online activities. These cookies collect statistical information about your browsing actions and patterns and do not identify you as an individual.

Transferring Personal Information outside of Europe

SQT presently offers several programmes certified by organisations based outside of the EU, namely, AEE (Association of Electrical Engineers) and the Food Safety Preventative Controls Alliance (FSPCA). Some of the third-party tools used in online learning, such as Zoom and MS Teams, may store data in non-EU locations. In such cases, we ensure that appropriate safeguards, including standard contractual clauses, are in place to protect your data.

Review of this Policy

This policy will be reviewed biannually or sooner if necessitated by changes in our delivery methods, especially in relation to the growing use of digital tools and platforms in our programmes.