Privacy policy

We are the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), a charity registered in England and Wales (number 264289) and in Scotland (number SC044875).

CITB is required to process personal information and is a data controller for the purposes of data protection legislation including the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the UK GDPR and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679). CITB is registered as a data controller (number Z7125297).

If you have any comments or concerns about any aspect of this policy or any privacy or data protection issue, please email our Information Governance Team at information.governance@citb.co.uk  or write to:

Information Governance Team
CITB
Sand Martin House
Bittern Way
Peterborough
Cambs
PE2 8TY

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at information.governance@citb.co.uk or by writing to the address above.

The “Public Interest” condition is the primary legal basis upon which CITB relies for processing personal information.  Your information is collected or provided to CITB to enable the functions (and purposes incidental to those functions) as set out in the Industrial Training Act 1982.

However, public interest is not sufficient grounds to process sensitive or “special category” personal information.  CITB will usually require explicit consent to process this category of information, except where CITB is acting under a statutory right or obligation (for example in a matter concerning safeguarding) or if particular urgent grounds exist (for example preventing or detecting a crime).

These 8 principles summarise our commitment to protecting your privacy:

• We only collect and use the personal information we need to provide or improve our products and services
• You can check whatever information we hold about you
• We will keep your personal information safe
• We are fair and open about how we use your details
• We will never sell your details or share it except in the ways mentioned in this policy or unless you ask us
• We will let you know if there are important changes that affect your information or how we use it
• We take responsibility for the information we hold about you
• We only keep your information for as long as necessary.

When we review our privacy policy we will note the date it was last updated.

This privacy policy was last reviewed and updated in April 2021.

You give us information when you use our websites, products and services, including when you: 

• Submit one of our forms
• Correspond with us by phone, email or otherwise
• Register with us
• Subscribe to our services
• Search for a product
• Participate in our discussion boards, chat or social media
• Enter a competition or promotion
• Respond to a survey.
• When you purchase a product or service

We collect information about you when you visit our websites through the use of cookies (see Cookies section below).

We may also get information from other sources, including:

• Third parties, such as external training organisations
• Those websites and services we help to operate or contribute to 
• Those websites used for advertising products and services
• Closed circuit television (CCTV) (read CCTV section below for full details).

The information we collect about you, could include but is not limited to your:

• Name, address, email and phone number
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number
• Financial and credit card information
• Personal description
• Photograph
• Family status
• Lifestyle
• Social circumstances
• IP address
• Geographical location
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Browsing data, such as access times
• Navigation history
• Preferences
• Purchases made

We may also have sensitive information, which could include the following:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Racial or ethnic origin
• Religious or other beliefs
• Trade Union membership
• Genetic data
• Biometric data

We use your information for many purposes, which may include to:

• Fulfil our statutory roles, duties and functions as an industrial training board
• Administer our membership records and accounts, including for levy raising
• Fundraise and promote our interests
• Manage our employees and volunteers
• Provide education, training, career awareness and advice services for our beneficiaries
• Carry out charitable trading
• Advertise, promote and market our products and services
• Undertake research
• Administer certification and qualifications
• Perform our duties as a registered data controller and public authority
• Confirm identities, undertake fraud detection and prevent crime
• Carry out our safeguarding obligations for learners, employees and visitors
• Notify you about a change to our products and service
• Carry out our contractual obligations
• Provide and improve our products and services
• Analyse your website behaviour
• Improve the operation, security and presentation of our sites
• Target our online advertising to your interests and preferences
• Measure and understand the effectiveness of our online content and marketing
• Enable you to participate in interactive features on our website.

How we keep it safe

We take the security of your personal information very seriously. 

We use technical measures, such as encryption, and carry out regular security reviews to keep our protections up to date. We also strictly control access and ensure staff who are authorised for access are adequately trained in keeping your information safe. 

Our procedures mean that we may ask you to prove your identity before we share your personal information with you.

Third-party websites you access through links on our websites will have their own privacy policies. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for them.

We do not share your information with others unless you have consented or it is necessary to do so because:

• Of our statutory role and duties as an industrial training board
• The law requires us to
• Of administrative or operational needs
• It is part of our terms of use.

When we do have to share information, it is likely to be with:

• Our service providers or agents
• Our partners
• Industry bodies
• Your employer or prospective employers
• Users and providers of competency card schemes and training registers
• Training providers
• Funding bodies
• Law enforcement agencies
• Medical professionals.

Sharing your achievements

We may want to share your CITB-accredited achievements with newspapers, websites and other media. Contact us at unsubscribe@citb.co.uk if you would prefer us not to.

We may use Data Processors, including those located outside of the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA).  Where this happens we make sure the transfer and storage of your information still complies with UK and/or EEA laws as applicable and this Privacy Policy.

Cookies are small files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit or certain emails you open. They are used to help make websites more accessible and operate properly, as well as to provide business and marketing information and help us customise your experience.

You can manage your cookies by setting your browser preferences.  For more information on how we use cookies and how to manage them, please see our Cookies Policy.

We may record phone calls we make or receive for training, quality assurance and to help us to deal with enquiries; for example, where we might need to confirm the details of a previous conversation.

What we do

We identify recorded calls using the originating telephone number and the time and date of the call.

A recording may contain your personal information relating to the products and services we offer. 

We may ask you for some personal information over the phone to confirm your identity, depending on the nature of your enquiry to prevent fraud and protect your data.

We use a ‘pause and resume’ function so we don’t record any part of your call that involves payment details.

Who has access to your information

We keep recorded calls securely, and only specific CITB staff, or specific staff of CITB appointed processors, are authorised to review them.

We contract a company to maintain call recording and a ‘pause and resume’ function. The company is authorised to access recorded calls only for fault diagnosis, testing and administration purposes.

How long we keep it

We delete recorded calls after 24 months, unless they are part of an active investigation.

There are many ways you may communicate with us online, including by:

• Chat and instant messaging (such as Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams)
• Email
• Social media (such as Facebook, Yammer or Twitter)
• Video conferencing (such as GoToMeeting, Zoom and Microsoft Teams)
• File sharing platforms (such as OneDrive and SharePoint)

What we do, how we use and how long we keep it

When you use email, chat, social media and other online platforms, it is likely you know what information you are sharing with us.

How we use and process your information, who accesses it, and how long we keep it, depends on the context in which we collected it, but follows the terms of our privacy policy, the CITB retention policy and UK law.

Images from closed circuit television (CCTV) of a recognisable person are treated as personal data in data protection law.

How we use CCTV

We use CCTV to:

• Maintain the safety and security of our property, premises, our employees, visitors to our premises, students and members of the public
• Prevent and investigate crime
• To assist disciplinary procedures in cases of misconduct
• To assist with enquiries including police enquiries.

Where we use CCTV

CCTV is deployed at our office locations which are;

• Bircham Newton - Kings Lynn Norfolk PE31 6RH
• Glasgow - 4 Fountain Avenue, Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, PA4 9RQ

CITB has offices at three additional locations where CCTV does operate but not within CITB’s demised space as follows:

• Cardiff - part of 3rd Floor, Companies House, Crown Way, Maindy, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ.  Companies House operate CCTV at the premises, but no cameras are present within CITB’s demised space.
• Peterborough – Sand Martin House, Bittern Way, Fletton Quays, Peterborough, PE2 8TY.  Peterborough City Council operates CCTV at the premises, but no cameras are present within CITB’s demised space.
• East Midlands. – Regus, Nottingham East Midlands Airport, Herald Way, Pegasus Business Park, Castle Donnington, DE74 2TZ.  Regus operate CCTV at the premises, but no cameras are present within CITB’s demised space.

Who has access to your information

CCTV systems are operated independently at each location. For further information please contact information.governance@citb.co.uk.

Where necessary we may share CCTV image information with:

• The person in the image
• Employees and agents
• Services providers
• Police forces
• Security organisations
• Individuals making an enquiry.

How long we keep it

CCTV images recorded by us are kept for 30 days, unless we need them for an active investigation. After that, the images are automatically overwritten by the recording equipment.  Images recorded at locations managed by third parties will be held in accordance with the retention policies of those third parties.

We destroy recordings that are part of an active investigation as soon as they are no longer needed.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of your information recorded by CCTV, except in certain circumstances described by applicable legislation. You do not have the right to instant access.

We use your payment details to process orders, collect levy payments and distribute funds, such as training grants.

How we use your information

We do not use your payment information for any purpose you have not authorised or disclose it to third parties without your permission. We process credit and debit card transactions following the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard PCI DSS.

Who has access to your information

CITB staff and contracted data processors have access to your payment details to carry out your transaction.

What we do

For bank and building society account transactions, we may make a record of your:

• Name
• Branch address
• Sort code
• Account number
• Signature

Where possible, we only store the verification code of card transactions and other data needed to process the payment once the transaction is complete. Where this is not feasible, we use other security methods to keep your data secure. We may process data such as the:

• Cardholder’s name
• Card number
• Card security code (CSC)
• Validity and expiry dates
• Issue number

How long we keep it

We keep your bank or building society details for as long as you authorise and delete them when they are no longer needed. We do not keep payment card information.

Our websites, services and products are not aimed at children under the age of 16 and we do not knowingly collect any information from them.

We ask children not to register with us or give us any of their information.

Where we have inadvertently collected information from a child, we will delete it as soon as possible.

If you know that a child has given their information to us, please contact us at: information.governance@citb.co.uk

You have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of any information we hold about you
• Withdraw any consents you have given
• Lodge a complaint with us or the Information Commissioner’s Office or with any other relevant supervisory authority about how we handle your personal data
• Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information we have about you
• Ask us to delete your information from our records
• Ask us to send a copy of your information to a third party in a data portable format.

We will deal with your request in accordance with the applicable Data Protection Legislation.

You can change your contact preferences or withdraw your consents at any time by writing to us at information.governance@citb.co.uk or:

Information Governance Team
CITB
Sand Martin House,
Bittern Way,
Peterborough,
PE2 8TY

To see the information we hold about you, you should make a Subject Access Request, including providing as appropriate your:

• Full name, including previous or other names
• Address
• Telephone
• Unique CITB registration or ID numbers
• Date of birth, if you don’t have a unique registration number

and contact the information governance team at:

Information Governance Team
CITB
Sand Martin House,
Bittern Way,
Peterborough,
PE2 8TY

Email: information.governance@citb.co.uk

We manage a booking system for construction training courses.

How we use your information

We use your information to find you the right course, venue and, if appropriate, accommodation, to deliver the course, and to process your booking. 

Who has access to your information

CITB employees who operate the course booking system or deliver training have access.

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to administer the course
• Identification information to prevent fraud
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences.

How long we keep it

We keep your profile information for no more than 6 years from the date you made your last booking, and we delete information about the courses you attended after 6 years.

We delete accommodation booking information 12 months after your departure date.

We support a number of card schemes, which help to ensure the safety and proficiency of the UK construction workforce. Through them, it is possible to check someone’s identity and achievements or qualifications.

How we use your information

We record accredited achievements in a database, which our staff can access to support card schemes and answer your queries. Anyone who can provide us with certain search information about you, (such as your CITB Individual ID or Registration Number, National Insurance number and other personal details), can check your identity and CITB-accredited achievements including using:

• Our online card checker
• Our telephone validation service
• An application program interface (API) that we give to authorised employers and supported card scheme providers

A successful search returns the following information about you:

• CITB Registration Number
• Surname and first initial
• Photo
• Memberships (including card schemes)
• Health and safety test passes
• Courses

Who has access to your information

Anyone with the right search information about you has access. This is usually:

• Our staff who process your information to support card schemes
• Contracted third parties
• Supported organisations with card schemes
• Construction site administrators
• Employers
• Your family or friends

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to ask you to confirm our records about you
• Identification information to prevent fraud
• Achievement information to check that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to work in construction
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences

How long we keep it

We will keep your information for no longer than 50 years from the expiry date of your last achievement.

The Construction Training Register is an online database showing who has gained standardised construction-related training achievements and qualifications. 

Employers/employees can search the register to check skills and manage their training needs.

How we use your information

We use your information to fulfil our statutory role as an industrial training board. This includes maintaining a record of your training achievements and qualifications with an Approved Training Organisation (ATO). 

A successful search returns the following information about you:

• CITB Registration Number
• Surname and first initial
• Photo
• Memberships (including card schemes)
• Health and safety test passes
• Courses

Who has access to your information

CITB staff, contracted third parties, your employer, the relevant ATOs and anyone to whom you have provided your identifying data as set out below can access your achievement records.

Anyone who has your surname and at least one other piece of identifying data unique to you, such as your Unique Learner Number or CITB Individual Identifier can access your achievement records.  

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to ask you to confirm our records about you
• Identification information to prevent fraud
• Achievement information to check that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to work in construction
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences. 

How long we keep it

We may keep and use your personal data for as long as we need to, to fulfil our statutory functions.

We keep a record of your achievements for up to 50 years, except where the achievement is for life. 

We offer a range of construction apprenticeships across Great Britain.

How we use your information

We use the information you give us to understand your career goals and development needs, so that we can place you with the right college and employer.

Who has access to your information

Your data will only be shared in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation.

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to ask you to confirm our records about you and to process your apprenticeship application
• Identification information to prevent fraud
• Achievement information to check that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to work in construction
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences and so on.

How long we keep it

We may keep your personal data for as long as we need to fulfil our statutory functions.

We keep apprenticeship course records for at least 6 years. Funding providers that subsidise an apprenticeship may specify that they need to keep records for longer.

We provide a number of e-commerce websites to sell our products online including:

• CITB Shop and CITB Training and courses, which are owned by us and managed by us in conjunction with our third party providers
• CITB Marketplace, which is operated on our behalf by Pearson VUE
• CITB eCourses, owned by us and managed by us in conjunction with our third party providers

How we use your information

We use your information to process your order. This includes your name, contact and payment details.

Who has access to your information

Our order-processing staff receive details of all orders. Staff and systems at Pearson VUE use your data to process your order. We may transfer your details to other third party service providers for example a fulfilment partner. 

How long we keep it

We keep order information and financial information for upto 7 years.

We provide grants and other funding to promote careers and support employers, federations, trade associations and training groups in the UK construction industry.

How we collect your information

Employers, federations, trade associations and training groups can express interest or apply for funding via a form on our website. We store this information in a secure database. 

What we collect

The information we collect depends on the type of funding application submitted, but could include:

• Organisation type
• Eligibility for funding
• Funding option
• Basic company details
• Contact details
• Partnership details
• Project details
• Deliverables and beneficiaries
• Evidence of need.

Who has access to your information

CITB staff and contracted third parties have access to the information.

How long we keep it

We keep your information for at least 7 years, as required by accounting legislation, and longer if needed by the funding authority.

The CITB Health, Safety & Environment test helps raise standards across the industry. 

How we use your information

We record your identification information, contact details, and HS&E results in a database which our staff can access for testing administration and to validate if you are eligible for additional training or certification. To deliver the test CITB uses third-party test providers including Pearson VUE, and third-party Internet Test Centres. Your test results and ID photograph may also be passed to third-party competency card schemes to allow them to process your card application.

Who has access to your information

• Our staff who process your information
• Contracted third parties
• Pearson VUE staff who deliver and invigilate the test
• The Internet Test Centre where you took your test
• Competency card scheme providers
• Your achievements may also be available via our online card checker or the Construction Training Register.

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to ask you to confirm our records about you
• Identification information to prevent fraud
• Achievement information to check that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to work in construction
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences and so on.

How long we keep it

We will keep your information for no longer than 50 years from the expiry date of your last achievement.

We conduct and commission research and analysis of the construction industry sector to help it improve and succeed, as authorised by the Industrial Training Act 1982.

How we use your information

We may use your information to undertake research into all aspects of the construction industry including for example to understand trends in construction as well as employment and skills needs in the industry.

Who has access to your information

CITB staff and contracted third parties performing research for us have access. We may also share information with customers and clients, agents, service providers, and survey and research organisations if we need to.

What we do

We may use any of the information we have collected about you across our websites, products and services for our research, including your:

• Name
• Contact details
• Family status
• Lifestyle
• Social circumstances
• Financial details
• Interest in or use of our goods and services.

We may also use information gathered from surveys, which may be sensitive, including your:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Racial or ethnic origin
• Religious or other beliefs.

How long we keep it

We keep research information in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation.

SkillBuild is a skills competition for construction trainees and apprentices, who can enter it by providing their details via our website. 

How we use your information

We use your information to administer and improve the competition. We may also contact you for your consent to take part in promotional activity for SkillBuild, such as case studies and blogs.

We store your information in a secure database which is not shared with third parties without your consent.  

Who has access to your information

CITB staff and contracted data processors who need the information to administer the competition have access.

What we collect

What we collect may include your:

• Name
• Contact details
• Date of birth
• Dietary information
• Clothing size
• Ethnicity
• Disability information
• Qualifications.

How long we keep it

We keep your information until 28 February of the year following your registration, except for competition results, which we keep until they are no longer necessary to maintain records for past achievers and to track progress through competition cycles. 

We have statutory powers to collect a levy (The Industrial Training Levy) from construction employers to fund training so that the sector has the skilled workforce it needs. 

How we use your information

We keep a register of construction employers, which we use to collect the levy from those who are required by law to pay it.

Who has access to your information

Only CITB staff and contracted data processors have access.

What we do

We use your:

• Contact details to ask you to confirm our records about you, to process your levy assessment, to issue a levy collection notice and to process your payment
• Employer details to determine if you are eligible to pay the levy
• Profile data so we know your contact preferences and so on.

How long we keep it

We destroy Levy Returns after 7 years.  We keep your profile data for 7 years after you or your company are no longer required to complete a Levy Return.