Introduction
Advice Direct Scotland (ICO Registration Z9035412) (“ADS”) takes your privacy very seriously. This Privacy Notice is intended to set out your rights and answer any queries you may have about your personal data.
How do we collect information from you?
We will collect personal data from you in the following circumstances:
- When you visit our website
- Directly from you when you undertake training provided by academy.scot
What type of information do we collect from you via our website?
The following types of personal information are collected when you undertake training with us:
- Name
- Scottish Candidate Number
- Address
- Contact details
- Sex
- Date of Birth
- Training Session Recordings
- Any personal data contained within course submissions.
Use of Cookies
Our website uses cookies. ‘Cookies’ are small pieces of information stored on your computer. They allow websites to recognise you each time you visit. These cookies will not identify you as an individual, but will collect statistical data concerning your browsing patterns and actions online. We use cookies in order to understand more about how our site is being used by visitors.
Cookies help us to track various aspects of user access to our website. This includes the length of a user visit, their geographic location and patterns of user navigation on our site.
You can switch off cookies on your computer, although this may result in a loss of functionality when accessing our website.
Google maps and Analytics Cookies
These cookies are also used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile user access reports and make any necessary improvements.
The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the website from and the pages they have visited.
More information on this can be found in Google’s own Analytics Privacy Policy and Google Maps Privacy Policy.
How do we use this information and what is the legal basis for this use?
We process the data listed above for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Lawful Basis |
| To enrol candidates on their qualification with the SQA. Information is also retained for portfolio work. | Legitimate interests (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(f)) – We need to process your data to provide you with our services. |
| To forward relevant course information, qualification results, and other documents required for training to be completed. | Legitimate interests (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(f)) – We need to process your data to provide you with our services. |
| Protecting ADS’s legitimate business interests and legal rights, including but not limited to, use in connection with legal claims, compliance, regulatory and investigative purposes (including disclosure of such information in connection with legal process or litigation). | Legitimate interests (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(f)) – We need to process your data to protect our organisation. |
| To monitor use of our websites and online services. | Legitimate interests (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(f)) – We may use your information to help us check, improve and protect our products, content, services and websites, both online and offline. |
| To monitor any trainee account to prevent, investigate and/or report fraud, terrorism, misrepresentation, security incidents or crime. | Legitimate interests (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(f)) and Legal obligation (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(c)) – We are legally obliged to process data for this purpose. |
| To comply with applicable law and legislation. | Legal obligation (GDPR, Article 6 (1)(c)) – We are legally obliged to process data for this purpose. |
With whom and where will we share your personal data?
Qualifications Authorities who administer the qualifications offered by the service (for example, the Scottish Qualifications Authority).
How long do we keep your personal data?
We will not keep your personal information for any purpose for longer than is necessary and will only retain the personal information that is necessary in relation to the purpose. We are also required to retain certain information as required by law or for as long as is reasonably necessary to meet regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, prevent fraud and abuse, or enforce our terms and conditions.
We will retain your data for a short time beyond the specified retention period, to allow for information to be reviewed and any deletion to take place. In some instances, laws may require Advice Direct Scotland to hold certain information for specific periods other than those listed below.
| Service | Retention Period | Data Type |
| academy.scot | Three weeks on completion of the course (whether it be pass, fail or withdrawal as a result). The exception being if an external verifier requests a visit within the retention period. The data shall be retained only until after the visit has occurred. |
|
| Three years | Misconduct investigation reports and evidence | |
| Six years | Reports and evidence involving a potential criminal prosecution or civil claim |
What are your rights in relation to your personal data?
Under data protection law, you have the following rights:
- Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify your personal information if you think it is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information that you think is incomplete.
- Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
- Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you in most cases.
Please contact us at DPO@advice.scot if you wish to make a request.
Complaints
If you are not happy with our response or require further information regarding data processing rules and regulations, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/.
Other Websites
The advice.scot website may contain links to websites which are controlled by external organisations. This privacy policy only covers our own website. Therefore, we strongly advise that you read privacy notices of other sites, even if they are accessed using links on our website.
Review
This Privacy Notice is kept under regular review.
Latest update – May 2025
