PRIVACY POLICY

What is the purpose of this document?

This is the Privacy Notice applicable to the Top Apprenticeship Employers entry process run by the Department for Education (DfE) and RMP Enterprise Limited (t/a Higherin). We are the joint data controllers of your information. This means that both Higherin and DfE are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you and your organisation.

You are being provided with this privacy notice because you are submitting an entry to the Top Apprenticeship Employers rankings. It makes you aware of how and why your data will be used and how long it will usually be retained for. It provides you with certain information that must be provided under UK privacy laws.

Section 1: Information we collect from you, and what we use it for

We collect the information you input into the official online entry form. This includes:

• Contact information (first name, last name, job title, email address, phone number)

• Organisation information (company/institution name, Companies House number where applicable, industry, company logo)

• Workforce information (total number of employees in England)

• Apprenticeship data (number of apprentices employed, starts, achievements, withdrawals, apprenticeship levels)

• Aggregated diversity data relating to apprentices (gender, age bands, ethnicity, learning difficulties or disabilities including mental health and neurodiversity)

• Optional marketing preferences

We do not collect individual-level apprentice data through this form. All apprenticeship and diversity information is submitted in aggregated form.

We use this information to:

• Assess and qualify your entry for the Top Apprenticeship Employers rankings

• Verify the accuracy of submitted data (including follow-up checks by email or telephone)

• Rank and score eligible organisations

• Publish the names and logos of organisations that are successfully ranked

• Produce reporting, insight and publicity associated with the rankings

• Communicate with you regarding your submission and participation

Alongside the information submitted in this form, we will also take into consideration eligible apprentice reviews submitted via Higherin.com as part of the rankings methodology.

We may use your email address or phone number to contact you if we have any queries relating to the data you have provided.

Our lawful basis for this processing is:

• Our legitimate interests in administering and promoting the Top Apprenticeship Employers rankings and facilitating your participation

• Consent, where you opt in to receive marketing communications

• Compliance with legal obligations, where applicable

Section 2: Data sharing

The personal information you submit in your entry will be used by Higherin and DfE to process, verify and communicate with you about your application.

Information in your application, including your personal information, may be shared with PR, creative or marketing agencies working on behalf of Higherin and DfE for publicity purposes relating to the promotion of apprenticeships as part of the Top Apprenticeship Employers rankings process. We will obtain your consent before using personal contact details for promotional purposes. Commercially sensitive information will not be shared publicly.

We may also share relevant information with trusted service providers who support our systems (such as CRM, secure hosting and data processing providers). All third-party service providers are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies. They may only process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

We do not sell your personal data.

Section 3: Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed.

Access to your personal information is limited to employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.

Section 4: Data retention

We retain your personal data for up to 10 years after it was last modified, in line with DfE disposal schedules and organisational requirements.

We will take appropriate steps to ensure your information remains secure throughout the retention period. It will then be securely destroyed when no longer required.

If you have opted in to receive marketing communications, we will retain your contact details for that purpose until you withdraw your consent.

Section 5: Rights of access, correction, erasure and restriction

Under certain circumstances, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information

• Request correction of incomplete or inaccurate personal information

• Request erasure of your personal information where there is no lawful basis for continued processing

• Object to processing where we rely on legitimate interests

• Request restriction of processing

• Request transfer of your personal information to another party

You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent for marketing communications.

Section 6: How to contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how your information is handled in relation to the Top Apprenticeship Employers rankings, you can contact:

HigherinRMP Enterprise Ltd.9 Brighton TerraceBrixtonLondonSW9 8DJ

Email: matthew@rmpenterprise.co.uk

To contact the Department for Education (DfE) directly you can use the DfE contact form or write to:

Data Protection Officer

Department for Education

4th floor

2 St Paul’s Place

125 Norfolk Street

Sheffield

S1 2FJ

Section 7: How to complain

If you have concerns about how we use your information, we hope you will contact us in the first instance so we can resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues:https://ico.org.uk/concerns/Telephone: 0303 123 1113