AVTES Privacy Policy (Student Data)
AVTES is committed to protecting all client’s privacy in line with relevant legislation. To protect all personal information and ensure its confidentiality, AVTES has created the following Privacy Policy.
Collection of Information
In order for AVTES to enrol a student into a training program of their choice, a number of personal details must be collected. These details are sourced through the completion of an electronic enrolment and/or details required by the State and Commonwealth regulations. There is a possibility of being contacted by NCVER to request your participation in an NCVER survey, and/or being contacted by the Department to request your participation in their annual student outcome survey and/or for audit, review or investigation purposes. AVTES includes privacy notices and related declarations in all enrolment forms/documents, in accordance with the National VET Data Policy and the Victorian VET Student Statistical Collection Guidelines, which advises students how their data may be supplied to and used by the relevant State and Commonwealth authorities.
Other details relating to a student’s progress throughout a training program or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) application may also be collected. These details are primarily sourced from the student as required but may also include second and/or third-party contributions related to the program requirement.
Students are also invited to participate in AVTES satisfaction surveys. These surveys are designed to assist AVTES in improving our level of service and maximising the opportunities and benefits for our students.
Storage, Security and Integrity of Information
All students’ personal details are stored in a single secure electronic database and any existing hardcopy student records in locked filing cabinets on our premises. Access is controlled and limited to only those staff members responsible for managing enrolments, results and certification, accounts, training and assessment.
In line with existing practice of record security and safe keeping, all electronic records are managed to reduce the risk data misuse and privacy breaches. Archived records are also managed in a secure manner.
AVTES uses a range of security measures to effectively safeguard records relating to each student from unauthorised access or use including access to Personal Information, or amendment of records held for as long as those records are required to be retained under relevant State and Regulatory requirements.
AVTES has processes in place to ensure the prompt disposal of Records that include Personal Information when obliged to do so under the PDP Act (including after any requirement to keep them under either State or Regulatory Standards or any other applicable Law has ceased).
Consent is sought at enrolment of a student to verify copies of Personal Identification supplied when undertaking a government funded training program. Verification occurs either via a secure Government approved Gateway Service Provider or via a Written Declaration with this related record retained. Once verification of the information has occurred and to protect a student’s privacy, AVTES does NOT retain the copy of personal information supplied at enrolment.
Accuracy of Information
AVTES makes every effort to keep student and client details accurate and up-to-date and information is immediately updated if errors or changes are identified. To this end, AVTES recommends that students:
- inform AVTES immediately if they find errors in their personal information; and
- keep AVTES informed of changes to their personal details (name, address or telephone number etc) or any anomalies which have occurred during the enrolment process.
Disclose of Information to Other Parties
No personal information is taken off-site or otherwise disclosed to any third party except when required to report statistical and program progression information as stipulated by legislative regulations, eg. the completion details of Government funded training programs. In such cases, information is protected by the confidentiality principles practiced by Government authorities.
In collecting Personal Information for the purposes of the VET Funding Contract, AVTES enrolment form requires a student’s acknowledgement and consent for AVTES to collect, use, hold and disclose that Personal Information, including by disclosing it to the Department by way of the submission of reports, for the purposes of complying with Record disclosure obligations and in the course of any audit, review or investigation. The enrolment form also requires a student’s acknowledgement and consent for the Department to collect, use, hold and disclose that Personal Information for the purposes of the VET Funding Contract and its operation and management of the Skills First Program, in accordance with all applicable Laws, including the PDP Act, the Health Records Act and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Where a student is under 18 years old, a parent/guardian signature is also required on the enrolment form.
Student Access to Information
It is a student’s legal right to know exactly what personal information and program records are held by AVTES. Such information is available at all times either over the telephone or in writing. To protect the privacy of clients, AVTES will confirm personal details before providing any information over the telephone.
Records & Information Access
Records and information relating to each student are held confidentially. Should access to these records and information be required by the participant, disclosure of information to other parties can be granted upon application with the exception of obligations to provide copies of government funded participants records for inspection where requested.