Privacy Notice - Destination Analysis

Who is collecting the information?

West Lothian College is the Data Controller. We have an appointed Data Protection Officer (DPO), Alice Wilson, who can be contacted by emailing: gdpr@west-lothian.ac.uk

Why are we collecting it and what are we doing with it (Purpose)?

West Lothian College are collecting this information for the purpose of tracking the destinations of students after they graduate. We use this information to produce anonymised statistical data reflecting how many students progress into a positive destination after graduation (work, employment or further education) and whether their destination is linked to their course of study. This information is then published and used to benchmark the college’s performance with that of other colleges.  

What personal data do we collect?

West Lothian College are provided with eligible students’ names and course titles from the Scottish Funding Council. West Lothian College only collect data on current occupational or student status.

How are we collecting this information? What is the source?

We receive the name and course title of each student that we are required to contact from the Scottish Funding Council. Once received, West Lothian College contact each student directly by phone or online survey link and ask questions specifically related to their current employment or education status.

The lawful basis for the processing

The legal basis for processing under data protection law is GDPR Article 6(1)(e) “processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller” This is for recording your destination on leaving college.

Who we share the information with:

Anonymised statistical data is provided to the Scottish Funding Council and is circulated internally to outline students’ destinations following graduation from West Lothian College. This statistical information is also published within our marketing materials. We may also share details about specific students and their destination with partners such as Skills Development Scotland. Any sharing of data which identifies individuals will be carried out securely and with a data sharing agreement in place.

How long do we hold the personal data?

West Lothian College will hold personal data relating to destination for a maximum of two academic years, this allows us to monitor any changes/similarities in the destinations of our past students year on year. Statistical, anonymised results of the data will be held for a period of ten years for the purpose of tracking performance.

Individuals’ rights in relation to this processing

Under data protection law, individuals have a number of rights. These rights are as follows:

• Right to be Informed – i.e. a privacy notice
• Right of Access – this means that you can request access or copies of your personal data
• Right to Rectification – this means you have the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete data held about you
• Right to Erasure (commonly known as the Right to be Forgotten (RTBF)) – this means you have the right to request your personal data held is deleted/destroyed.
• Right to Restrict – this means you have the right to restrict processing of your data, this links with other rights and if there is disagreement then you can request the processing is restricted until the issue is resolved.
• Right to Object – this means you can object to how your data is processed. If you do not wish to be contacted in relation to this purpose, you can object by emailing the college Marketing team: marketing@west-lothian.ac.uk
• Right to Data Portability – this means you can request your personal data in a machine-readable format (e.g. a .csv file). You can also request that the organisation transfers the file to another organisation
• Right to know of any automated decision making, including profiling – the college does not do this with personal data, so this right does not apply.

Please note some of these rights only apply in certain circumstances and are not absolute. To exercise any of your rights please email the data protection mailbox at GDPR@west-lothian.ac.uk  The College will process your request accordingly and respond within one month of receipt of your request.

Complaints to UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

If you are concerned about how your personal data is being used by the College, in the first instance please can you contact the College Data Protection Officer (DPO) at GDPR@west-lothian.ac.uk . If you are not satisfied with the outcome then you can complain to the regulator of data protection, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO has guidance on their website here: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/raising-concerns/

You can email them at casework@ico.org.uk or call them on 0303-123-113 or you can send a letter to them at the following address:

Customer Contact
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF