Policing Apprenticeship recruitment - initial skills scans privacy notice

Information you need to know

The Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing is part of Liverpool John Moores University. See further information on the institution.

Liverpool John Moores University is the data controller for the processing of personal data relating to the initial skills scan stage of the Professional Policing Practice Degree Apprenticeship recruitment process. As part of this process, Merseyside Police Recruitment will also process relevant personal data in connection with your application to Merseyside Police.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information.

For information about how the wider university uses personal data, please see the Privacy notice section of our website.

Information we are collecting

We collect personal information to assess whether you have transferable skills, prior experience or prior learning that may be recognised as part of the Professional Policing Practice Degree Apprenticeship programme.

The personal data we collect for this purpose includes:

  • your name
  • date of birth
  • address
  • evidence of Level 2 (or equivalent) English and Mathematics qualifications
  • details of any other qualifications that may be relevant to the assessment

We will also ask whether you have an existing individual support plan or would like to be assessed for one. This information is used to help ensure that appropriate support and reasonable adjustments can be considered where needed before you begin the programme.

Source of the personal data

We collect personal data directly from you as part of the Policing Apprenticeship recruitment and initial skills scan process, such as through application forms and assessments you complete.

Why we are collecting your data and the legal basis for this

We process personal data in accordance with the principles of the GDPR and only where there is a valid lawful basis to do so.

We collect and use your personal data to manage the Policing Apprenticeship recruitment process and to carry out an initial skills scan. This helps us assess your eligibility for the apprenticeship, understand your learning needs, and ensure that appropriate support is in place from the outset. It also allows us to meet apprenticeship programme requirements and keep accurate records.

The university processes your personal data under Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR, as this processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. This includes our role as a higher education provider delivering education and training and supporting learners throughout their studies.

Your personal data is also used to:

  • provide advice and guidance
  • monitor engagement and academic progress
  • deliver appropriate learning and teaching support

Where we collect information about your health or disability, this is so that we can identify and put in place reasonable adjustments or additional support where needed. This information is processed under Article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR, as it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, and in line with equality and education-related obligations.

Who has access to this data

Your personal data is accessed only by relevant members of LJMU staff where this is necessary for them to carry out their role in relation to the Policing Apprenticeship recruitment and initial skills scan process. This may include:

  • academic staff involved in teaching, assessment or student support, such as your academic tutor
  • staff within the Apprenticeship Team who manage:
    • recruitment
    • compliance
    • programme delivery

We may also lawfully share your personal data with external organisations where this is necessary and appropriate. This may include:

  • Merseyside Police, as your employer, to support:
    • recruitment
    • eligibility checks
    • programme coordination
    • ongoing apprenticeship requirements, including where necessary to support reasonable adjustments or identified learning needs
  • external software and systems providers that we use to support:
    • recruitment
    • assessment
    • learning activities

How the university protects your data

We are committed to keeping your personal data safe in line with data protection legislation and the university’s information security and data protection policies.

We use a combination of technical and organisational measures to protect your information. These include:

  • secure storage arrangements
  • restricted access to authorised staff only
  • the use of password-protected systems

The skills scan form will be sent to you via email. Once completed and returned, your documentation will be stored securely in a locked cabinet before being transferred to a password-protected electronic file.

How long the university keeps your data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

If you go on to enrol as a student, your data will be retained in line with the University’s student records retention period, which is typically six years after the end of your studies.

If you do not enrol on a course, your data will be retained for up to one year after the completion of the recruitment process.

When your personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request - this could be in a portable electronic format
  • request that the university changes incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
  • request that the university delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing

If your personal data has been provided by consent, you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

If you do not provide data

Some personal data is required to enable us to assess your application and support your participation in the programme, including requirements linked to your probationary period. If you do not provide this information, we may be unable to progress your application or provide you with the relevant educational support.

You may also choose to engage with certain university services on an optional basis, such as Student Life and Wellbeing and Alumni Services. These services will only be able to support you or keep you informed if you choose to provide your personal data to them.

Transfers of data outside the UK

We normally keep your personal data within the UK. In some cases, however, we may need to transfer it to another country - for example, to deliver a contract with you or to work with a partner organisation such as a university based overseas.

Whenever this happens, we make sure your information stays protected. This could be through a UK “adequacy regulation” (which confirms that the other country’s data protection laws are up to UK standards) or by putting strong safeguards in place.

These safeguards might include:

  • model contractual clauses
  • formal data sharing or processing agreements
  • binding corporate rules

In short, even if your data travels abroad, it will continue to be treated with the same care and respect as it would under UK law.

Automated decision-making

We do not use computers to make decisions about you based solely on your personal data. Any decisions that affect you will always be made by a human, ensuring that you are treated fairly.

How to complain to the university

You have a right to complain to the university if you think it has not properly responded to your request for personal information or feel it has not handled your personal data responsibly.

If you are not satisfied with how your request for information or how your personal data has been handled, you should set out your complaint in writing to:

Maria Burquest
University Secretary and General Counsel
Legal and Governance Services
2nd Floor Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
Liverpool
L2 2QP

or by email via DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the following details:

  • Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
  • Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website.