Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Sky High Training ("we", "our", "us") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and all other applicable data protection legislation in the United Kingdom.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, enroll in our BTEC Level 2 ICQ Certification courses, or use our training services.

Data Controller: Sky High Training
Registered Address: Blackburn, United Kingdom
Contact Email: info@skyhightraining.co.uk
Contact Phone: 0752 182 2227

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Enroll in our taxi and private hire driver training courses
• Complete our contact forms or enrollment applications
• Subscribe to our newsletters or marketing communications
• Communicate with us via phone, email, or other means
• Participate in our training programmes

This information may include:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• National Insurance Number (where required for certification)
• Driver's license information
• Educational qualifications and previous training records
• Emergency contact information
• Payment and billing information
• Photographs and identification documents (for certification purposes)
• Any other information you choose to provide

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website
• Pages visited and time spent on our site
• Device information
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookies Policy)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including:

• BTEC awarding bodies and examination boards
• Payment processors
• Background check providers (where legally required)
• Government agencies (DVLA, Local Councils)
• References provided by you

3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. We process your data on the following legal grounds:

3.1 Contract Performance

Processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations when you enroll in our training courses, including:

• Providing educational services
• Issuing BTEC Level 2 ICQ Certifications
• Managing your enrollment and attendance
• Processing payments

3.2 Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal requirements, including:

• Maintaining educational records as required by awarding bodies
• Tax and accounting obligations
• Health and safety regulations
• Anti-money laundering checks
• Regulatory compliance with education authorities

3.3 Legitimate Interests

We process data where it is in our legitimate business interests, including:

• Improving our services and course offerings
• Marketing and business development
• Fraud prevention and security
• Website analytics and optimization

3.4 Consent

Where required, we obtain your explicit consent for:

• Marketing communications
• Non-essential cookies
• Processing special category data (if applicable)

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

4.1 Course Delivery and Administration

• Processing your enrollment applications
• Delivering classroom training in Blackburn
• Conducting assessments and examinations
• Issuing BTEC Level 2 ICQ Certificates
• Maintaining student records and attendance
• Providing student support and guidance

4.2 Communication

• Responding to your inquiries and requests
• Sending course-related information and updates
• Providing customer support
• Sending appointment reminders and notifications

4.3 Payment Processing

• Processing enrollment fees and payments
• Managing refunds and billing inquiries
• Maintaining financial records

4.4 Marketing (with your consent)

• Sending promotional materials about our courses
• Informing you about new training programs
• Sending newsletters and special offers

4.5 Legal and Compliance

• Meeting regulatory requirements
• Reporting to awarding bodies and educational authorities
• Cooperating with law enforcement when legally required
• Protecting our rights and interests

4.6 Service Improvement

• Analyzing trends and usage patterns
• Improving our website and user experience
• Developing new courses and services
• Quality assurance and training evaluation

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients:

5.1 Essential Service Providers

• Awarding Bodies: BTEC and Pearson for certification and qualification purposes
• Payment Processors: Secure payment gateways for processing enrollment fees
• IT Service Providers: Website hosting, email services, and cloud storage
• Assessment Services: Examination and assessment administration

5.2 Legal and Regulatory Authorities

• Local councils and licensing authorities
• DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Law enforcement agencies (when legally required)
• Educational regulators and inspection bodies

5.3 Professional Advisors

• Legal advisors
• Accountants and auditors
• Insurance providers

5.4 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our website of any such change.

6. International Data Transfers

Your personal data is primarily stored and processed within the United Kingdom. In certain circumstances, we may transfer data to service providers located in other countries. When we do so, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Adequacy decisions approved by the UK Government
• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
• Binding Corporate Rules
• Other mechanisms approved under UK data protection law

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

Retention Periods:

• Student Records: Minimum 6 years after course completion (as required by educational regulations)
• Financial Records: Minimum 6 years (as required by UK tax law)
• Marketing Data: Until you withdraw consent or 3 years of inactivity
• Website Analytics: 26 months (standard Google Analytics retention)
• Certification Records: Permanently (as required by awarding bodies)

After the retention period expires, we securely delete or anonymize your personal information.

8. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

8.1 Right to Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. This is commonly known as a "subject access request".

8.2 Right to Rectification

You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

8.3 Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten")

You have the right to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as:

• The data is no longer necessary for the purposes it was collected
• You withdraw consent (where consent was the lawful basis)
• You object to processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds
• The data has been unlawfully processed

Note: This right may be limited where we have a legal obligation to retain records (e.g., certification records, tax records).

8.4 Right to Restriction of Processing

You have the right to request that we restrict processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

8.5 Right to Data Portability

You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller.

8.6 Right to Object

You have the right to object to processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including:

• Direct marketing (absolute right)
• Processing for research or statistical purposes
• Processing based on legitimate interests

8.7 Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

8.8 Right to Lodge a Complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

8.9 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:

• Email: info@skyhightraining.co.uk
• Phone: 0752 182 2227
• Post: Sky High Training, Blackburn, United Kingdom

We will respond to your request within one month. If your request is complex, we may extend this period by a further two months, and we will inform you of this.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest (SSL/TLS certificates)
• Secure password policies and multi-factor authentication
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls and role-based permissions
• Secure backup and disaster recovery procedures
• Staff training on data protection and security
• Confidentiality agreements with staff and third parties
• Secure disposal of physical and electronic records

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for individuals aged 18 and over who are eligible to apply for taxi and private hire driver licenses in the UK. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 without parental consent.

If you are under 18 and wish to enroll in our courses, we require verifiable parental or guardian consent. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

11. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects or similarly significantly affects you. Any assessments or evaluations are conducted by qualified human instructors.

12. Marketing Communications

We will only send you marketing communications if you have given us your consent or where we have a legitimate interest to do so (for existing customers regarding similar services).

Opting Out

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
• Contacting us at info@skyhightraining.co.uk
• Calling us on 0752 182 2227
• Updating your preferences in your student account

Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we will still send you essential service-related communications regarding your enrollment and courses.

13. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including:

• Payment processors
• Social media platforms
• BTEC and Pearson websites
• Partner organizations

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

14. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website. For detailed information about the cookies we use and your choices, please see our Cookies Policy.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Notify you via email if you are an enrolled student
• Display a prominent notice on our website

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:

We are committed to working with you to obtain a fair resolution of any complaint or concern about privacy. However, if you believe that we have not been able to assist with your complaint or concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO (details provided in Section 8.8).

17. Data Protection Officer

For any data protection inquiries or to exercise your rights under UK GDPR, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at:

Email: dpo@skyhightraining.co.uk
Phone: 0752 182 2227