Dumfries & Galloway College (the College) is providing you with this information to comply with data protection law to ensure that you are fully informed and that we are transparent in how we collect and use your personal data.
Your privacy and trust are very important to us and this Privacy Notice provides essential information about how the College handles your personal data and the rights you have in relation to how we use your data. The College is committed to complying with all applicable Data Protection legislation.
Who are we?
Dumfries & Galloway College is the ‘Controller’ and is responsible for looking after the personal data that you provide.
Registered office:
Dumfries & Galloway College
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4FD
For any queries or concerns about how your personal data is being processed, you can contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) at DPO@dumgal.ac.uk.
This privacy notice relates to the following process:
Student applications
Purpose for processing – why do we collect information about you?
We collect and use your information for the following purposes:
When you make your application to learn with us we collect personal data about you so that we can identify you, communicate with you about your application and support needs, where appropriate, and assess your application against course entry criteria. Our legal basis for doing this is to carry out our public task. The Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013 allows colleges to provide educational courses and to provide support services for students.
We ask for some ‘special category data’ (e.g. ethnicity, sexual orientation, race) to carry out statistical analysis to ensure we’re advancing equality of opportunity and treatment for all student groups. This enables the college to meet its duties under the Equality Act 2010. The Data Protection Act 2018 also allows us to process your information for this purpose (but only where you’ve chosen to provide this data).
In the event that any of the data is optional, the online application form will make this clear.
Our lawful basis (reason) for processing your information are:
We collect the following personal data as part of your course application:
- You have given consent for the use
- Use is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps, at your request, before entering into such a contract.
- Use is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation.
- Use is necessary to protect a person’s vital interests.
- Use is necessary for performing a task in the public interest or under official authority vested in us.
The legitimate interest(s) of the controller or third party is/are:
The data being used includes special category (sensitive) data. Our legal reason for using this sensitive data is/are:
We ask for some ‘special category data’ (e.g. ethnicity, sexual orientation, race) to carry out statistical analysis to ensure we’re advancing equality of opportunity and treatment for all student groups. This enables the college to meet its duties under the Equality Act 2010. The Data Protection Act 2018 also allows us to process your information for this purpose (but only where you’ve chosen to provide this data).
What information do we collect about you?
We collect the following personal data as part of your course application:
- Login details (including secure password)
- Name, address, telephone number, email address
- Education history
- Gender
- Information about your residency status and nationality
- If you are care experienced
- If you are a carer or have caring responsibilities
- English language skills
- Your requirement for additional support
We also ask for some ‘special category data’, which means information that is more sensitive. We will ask you about:
- Sexual orientation
- Religious or other beliefs
- Ethnicity
How do we collect it?
We collect this personal information about you on the application form that you complete. We will ask for more information at enrolment stage and this is covered in our Enrolment Privacy Notice.
If you were to withhold the information we require for this process, the consequences would be:
We would not be able to complete your application.
Who do we share your information with?
We will take all reasonable steps to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information you give us.
The information you provide will be stored securely and will only be accessed by authorised college staff directly involved with the processing of your application and related operations.
The College has robust Information Security and Data Handling policies in place to protect all the data it holds, including your personal data.
In the event of a system failure or other software error, your data may be shared with one of our suppliers, Tribal Education Ltd.
As the Data Controller, the College will make sure that any third parties information we share your data with are compliant with the UK GDPR.
The College will not share your information with any other third parties and your data will not be held outside of the EU.
Details of data transfers to any third countries or international organisations
N/A
How do we look after your information and how long do we keep it for?
We will take all reasonable steps to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information you give us. Your personal information will be stored securely and will only be accessed by authorised staff, agents, contractors and other organisations who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality and must comply with data protection law.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
Personal data on successful applications will be stored securely for 5 years from the end of the academic session that you studied at The College, as part of your enrolment record.
Personal data on incomplete applications and unsuccessful applications, will be deleted at the end of the academic session of the application.
Automated decision making processes, including profiling
Your rights
Under Data Protection laws you have certain rights in relation to how the College manages and uses your personal information:
- The right to be informed (this is the Privacy Notice)
- The right to access your personal data
- The right to rectification if the personal data we hold about you is incorrect
- The right to restrict processing of your personal data
In addition the following rights apply only in certain circumstances:
- The right to withdraw consent at any time (if consent is our lawful basis for processing your data)
- The right to object to our processing of your personal data
- The right to request erasure (deletion) of your personal data
- The right to data portability
- The right not to be subject to automated decision making including profiling.
For more information about your rights please see www.ico.org.uk.
Contact us
If you have any issues about this notice or the way the College has handled your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer in the first instance:
email DPO@Dumgal.ac.uk
Telephone: 01387 734000 or write to:
Data Protection Officer
Dumfries & Galloway College
Bankend Road
Dumfries
DG1 4FD
Complaints to UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
If you are dissatisfied with the response from the College you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office about our handling of your data:
You can do this online: ICO Online
By telephone: 0303 123 1113
Or write to:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF