Privacy Notice

This notice explains how Able Skills Limited collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our website, contact us, book or attend training, apply for a job, or ask about finance.

Who we are and how to contact us

Able Skills Limited (company number 05492477) is the controller responsible for your personal information. You can contact us at Unit K5 Riverside Industrial Estate, Riverside Way, Dartford, Kent DA1 5BS, email info@ableskills.co.uk or telephone 01322 280202. Please use these details for privacy questions, rights requests or complaints.

Information we collect

• Your name, contact details and, where needed, date of birth or employment details.
• Course bookings, attendance, qualifications, assessments and training history.
• Payment, transaction and finance application information.
• Website and device information, including IP address and cookies.
• Marketing preferences and records of consent.
• Job application information, such as your CV, work history, references and right-to-work documents.
• Health, disability or accessibility information where needed to support you.

How we collect and use your information

We usually collect information directly from you. We may also receive it from your employer or course funder, awarding bodies, finance providers, recruitment agencies, referees, fraud-prevention services, regulators and public sources. If we receive information from another source, we will provide privacy information when required.

• Enquiries and support: to respond to you and manage our relationship.
• Bookings and training: to register you, deliver courses, assess achievement, issue or support qualifications and process payments.
• Finance: to introduce you to finance providers, support an application and help prevent fraud.
• Website and security: to operate, protect and improve our website and services.
• Recruitment: to assess applications, check suitability and manage the recruitment process.
• Legal and regulatory duties: to keep required records, respond to authorities and establish or defend legal claims.
• Marketing: to send relevant updates where you have consented or where the law otherwise permits. You can opt out at any time.

Our legal reasons for using your information

We rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contract: to handle bookings, payments and services, or take steps you request before a contract.
• Legal obligation: to meet tax, accounting, safeguarding, equality and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests: to manage and improve our services, keep them secure, prevent fraud, administer recruitment and protect our legal rights. We balance these interests against your rights.
• Consent: where required, including certain marketing, cookies and uses of sensitive information. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier use.

Health, disability and accessibility information is sensitive information. Where we use it, we also rely on an appropriate condition under data protection law, such as your explicit consent, employment and social-protection law, or substantial public interest grounds. We use only what is necessary to support you and meet our duties.

Where information is needed to enter into or perform a contract, meet a legal requirement, verify identity, process payment or support a finance request, we will explain this when we ask for it. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to provide the relevant service or progress your request. Other information is optional.

If you ask about finance

With your knowledge, we may pass the information needed for your request to an authorised lender or finance provider, which will normally act as a separate controller and provide its own privacy notice. It may verify your identity, assess affordability and creditworthiness, search credit reference and fraud-prevention records, and use automated checks. Its notice will explain the data used, the significance and likely consequences of any automated decision, and how to challenge it. Able Skills Limited acts as a credit broker, not a lender, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 725275).

Who we share information with

Where necessary for the purposes above, we may share information with awarding or certification bodies; your employer or course funder; IT, hosting, communications and payment providers; professional advisers; lenders and finance providers; recruitment providers and referees; fraud-prevention services; insurers; regulators, courts and law enforcement; and a buyer or adviser involved in a business sale or restructure. Service providers may use information only under our instructions. We do not sell your personal information.

Keeping your information safe and for how long

We use appropriate technical and organisational security measures and limit access to people who need it. We keep information only for as long as necessary for the purpose collected, including legal, accounting and regulatory requirements. Our usual retention periods are:

We may keep information for longer where this is required by law or needed for a complaint, investigation or legal claim.

Some suppliers may process information outside the UK. Where the destination is not covered by UK adequacy regulations, we use an approved safeguard, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum, and carry out any required risk assessment. Contact us if you would like more information or a copy of the relevant safeguard. Able Skills does not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may ask us to: give you a copy of your information; correct inaccurate or incomplete information; delete it; restrict or object to its use; transfer information you provided in a portable format; or review a significant decision made solely by automated means. You may also withdraw consent at any time and object to direct marketing at any time. These rights are not absolute. We will normally respond within one month and will not usually charge a fee. We may need to verify your identity.

Cookies and other websites

We use essential cookies to operate our website. With your choice, we may also use analytics, functionality and advertising cookies. You can accept, reject or change non-essential cookies through our cookie tool and read more in our Cookie Policy. Links to other websites are governed by those organisations’ privacy notices.

Questions or complaints

Please contact us first if you have a concern. We will handle it under our data protection complaints process. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by telephone on 0303 123 1113. You can complain to the ICO at any time, but it is usually helpful to give us the opportunity to resolve the matter first.