Privacy Policy
Academy of Skills
Last updated: 11 August 2026
1. Introduction
Academy of Skills is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you visit the Academy of Skills website, create an account, purchase or access a course or subscription, contact us, or order a hard-copy certificate or transcript.
We aim to collect only the personal information that we reasonably need to provide our services.
This Privacy Policy has been prepared with regard to applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation ("UK GDPR"), the Data Protection Act 2018 and, where applicable, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 ("PECR").
For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is:
Academy of Skills
Company number: 14079024
Registered office: 61 Union Street, Dunstable, England, LU6 1EX
Email: info@academyofskills.org
In this Privacy Policy, "Academy of Skills", "we", "us" and "our" refer to the company identified above.
2. Personal Information We Collect
We follow the principle of data minimisation. This means we aim to collect only personal information that is relevant and reasonably necessary for the services we provide.
Depending on how you use Academy of Skills, we may collect the following information.
Name
We collect your name when you create an account, enrol on or purchase a course or subscription, communicate with us, or request a certificate or transcript.
We use your name to identify your learner account, provide our services, maintain learning and certification records and communicate with you.
Email Address
We collect your email address when you create an account, make a purchase, enrol on a course or subscription, contact us, or otherwise provide it to us.
Your email address may be used for:
creating and managing your account;
providing access to courses;
sending purchase and enrolment confirmations;
sending important account or service communications;
sending course-related communications;
providing customer support;
helping you reset or recover access to your account;
communicating about certificates and transcripts; and
sending marketing communications where permitted by law.
Physical/Postal Address
We do not routinely require or collect your physical address to access our online courses.
We collect a postal address only where it is necessary to provide a service that requires physical delivery, such as when you order a hard-copy certificate or transcript.
The address you provide is used for the purpose of processing and delivering that order and for related customer-service or record-keeping purposes where necessary.
Please ensure that the delivery address you provide is accurate.
3. Learning, Course and Certification Information
Although we collect limited personal identification information, our systems may maintain information associated with your learner account and use of our educational services.
This may include information such as:
courses you have purchased or enrolled on;
your course access;
course progress and completion status;
assessments or quizzes completed through our platform;
assessment results where applicable;
course completion dates;
certificates or transcripts issued or ordered;
subscription status where applicable; and
information necessary to maintain your learner record.
We use this information to provide our educational services, maintain learner records, issue certificates or transcripts, provide customer support and, where appropriate, verify course completion.
4. Payment Information
Payments for Academy of Skills products and services are processed by Stripe.
Academy of Skills does not store your full payment card details in our systems.
When you make a payment, the payment information required to process and verify that transaction is provided to and processed by Stripe.
Stripe operates its payment infrastructure and processes payment-related information in accordance with its own privacy and security practices.
We may receive limited information relating to a transaction from Stripe, such as confirmation that a payment has been successful or unsuccessful, a transaction reference, the amount paid, refund information or other information reasonably required to administer your purchase.
We use this information to:
confirm and administer purchases;
activate relevant products or services;
administer subscriptions where applicable;
process refunds;
respond to payment enquiries;
maintain appropriate transaction records; and
prevent or investigate fraudulent transactions.
5. Information Collected When You Use Our Website
Like most websites and online learning platforms, certain technical information may be generated automatically when you use our website.
Depending on the technologies operating on our website, this may include information such as:
IP address;
browser type;
device type;
operating system;
pages visited;
date and time of visits;
referring pages or websites; and
information generated through cookies or similar technologies.
We may use this information where necessary to operate and secure our website, diagnose technical problems, prevent misuse and understand how our website and services are used.
Where cookies or similar technologies require consent under applicable law, we will seek that consent before using them.
More information about cookies and similar technologies should be provided in our Cookie Policy.
6. How We Use Your Personal Information
We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis for doing so.
The principal ways in which we use information are set out below.
| Purpose | Information involved | Main lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Creating and managing your learner account | Name, email address | Performance of a contract |
| Processing course purchases and enrolments | Name, email and transaction information | Performance of a contract |
| Providing access to courses | Name, email and learner/course information | Performance of a contract |
| Managing subscriptions | Name, email, subscription and transaction information | Performance of a contract |
| Recording course progress and completion | Learner/course information | Performance of a contract |
| Administering assessments | Learner/course and assessment information | Performance of a contract |
| Issuing certificates and transcripts | Name and learner/course information | Performance of a contract |
| Delivering hard-copy certificates or transcripts | Name and postal address | Performance of a contract |
| Processing payments | Limited transaction information; payment details are processed by Stripe | Performance of a contract |
| Processing refunds | Account and transaction information | Performance of a contract and, where applicable, legal obligations |
| Providing customer support | Name, email, account/course information and communications | Performance of a contract and/or legitimate interests |
| Maintaining appropriate business, transaction and certification records | Relevant account, learning and transaction information | Legal obligations and/or legitimate interests |
| Protecting our website, users and systems | Relevant technical/account information | Legitimate interests |
| Preventing fraud and misuse | Relevant account, technical and transaction information | Legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligations |
| Sending marketing emails | Name, email and relevant customer information | Consent or legitimate interests where permitted, subject to PECR |
| Website analytics and non-essential tracking | Cookie/device/usage information | Consent where required |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests override them.
7. Service Communications
Some emails we send are necessary for the operation of your account or the services you have requested.
These may include:
account-registration messages;
purchase confirmations;
payment or refund confirmations;
password-reset messages;
important changes affecting your account or course;
course-access information;
certificate or transcript communications;
customer-support responses; and
important legal or security notices.
These are service communications rather than promotional marketing where their content is genuinely necessary to provide or administer the service.
8. Marketing Communications
We may send you information about Academy of Skills courses, offers, services or other products that we believe may be relevant to you where we are permitted to do so by law.
For individuals, marketing by email will only be sent where:
you have provided the appropriate consent; or
the applicable requirements allowing us to contact existing customers about our own similar products or services are satisfied.
Where we rely on the existing-customer exception sometimes referred to as the "soft opt-in", we will provide an appropriate opportunity to opt out when collecting your details and in subsequent marketing communications, as required by applicable law.
You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in our marketing communications or by contacting us.
Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending genuine service communications that are necessary to administer your account, purchases, courses, certificates, subscriptions or requests.
We may retain a minimal suppression record after you unsubscribe so that we can remember your preference and avoid sending marketing to you again unless you subsequently choose to opt in.
We do not sell your email address to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
9. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:
enable essential website functionality;
maintain security;
remember appropriate preferences;
understand website performance and usage; and
support analytics or marketing where applicable.
Cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the website may be used without consent where permitted by law.
Where consent is legally required for cookies or similar technologies, including relevant analytics or advertising technologies, they will not be used until the appropriate consent has been obtained.
You should be able to accept or reject relevant optional cookies and change your choices using the cookie controls provided on our website.
For further details, please see our Cookie Policy.
10. Who We Share Personal Information With
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share limited personal information with organisations that help us operate Academy of Skills and provide services to you where this is reasonably necessary.
These may include:
Payment processors
We use Stripe to process payments. Payment card details are submitted to and processed by Stripe rather than being stored in Academy of Skills' systems.
Website, hosting and technology providers
Information may be processed by providers that host, maintain, secure or support the technology used to operate our website and learning services.
Email and communication providers
Where applicable, providers may process your name and email address on our behalf so that we can send service communications and lawful marketing communications.
Delivery and postal providers
If you order a hard-copy certificate or transcript, we may provide the information necessary to deliver it, such as your name and delivery address, to the relevant postal, courier, fulfilment or delivery provider.
Professional advisers
Where necessary, information may be provided to professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers or legal advisers.
Government, regulators and law-enforcement authorities
We may disclose information where required by law, a court order, a regulatory requirement or another valid legal process.
We may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or protect our rights, users or services.
Service providers processing personal information on our behalf are expected to process it only for the relevant purposes and subject to appropriate contractual and security requirements.
11. International Data Transfers
Some organisations that provide technology, payment, hosting, email or other services to us may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally and UK data protection law requires safeguards, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful.
Depending on the destination and circumstances, this may include relying on:
UK adequacy regulations;
an appropriate recognised transfer mechanism; or
another lawful safeguard permitted under UK data protection legislation.
We do not rely simply on your use of our website as consent to international transfers where UK law requires another transfer mechanism.
12. How Long We Keep Personal Information
We do not keep personal information for longer than reasonably necessary.
The appropriate retention period depends on why the information was collected and whether we need to retain it to provide services, maintain appropriate educational or certification records, comply with legal or accounting obligations, resolve disputes, prevent fraud or establish or defend legal claims.
In particular:
Learner account and course records may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to provide your account and courses and to maintain appropriate records of enrolment, completion and certification.
Certificate and transcript records may be retained where reasonably necessary to maintain a record of qualifications or course completion and respond to verification or replacement requests.
Postal addresses provided for hard-copy certificates or transcripts will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for fulfilment, customer support, dispute resolution and any applicable legal or record-keeping requirements.
Transaction records may be retained for the periods necessary to meet applicable tax, accounting and legal requirements.
Customer-support communications may be retained for an appropriate period to resolve enquiries, maintain service records and deal with disputes.
Marketing information is retained while we have a lawful reason to use it. Where you opt out, we may retain limited information on a suppression list so that we continue to respect your request.
When personal information is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it as appropriate.
13. Refunds and Your Personal Information
Academy of Skills offers a 14-day refund policy for courses, subject to the applicable terms of the purchase.
A refund is not offered where a student has completed the course within the 14-day period or where the applicable 14-day refund period has expired, subject always to any rights that cannot legally be excluded.
Where you request a refund, we may use relevant account, course-progress and transaction information to determine whether the request meets the applicable refund conditions and to administer any approved refund.
Refunds are normally processed through the original payment method using our payment processor.
The detailed contractual conditions relating to cancellations and refunds are contained in our Terms and Conditions / Refund Policy. This Privacy Policy only explains how personal information may be processed in connection with a refund.
14. Keeping Your Information Secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, accidental loss or destruction.
Access to personal information should be limited to people and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.
Payment card information is handled by Stripe rather than being stored within Academy of Skills' systems.
However, no website, internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
You are responsible for keeping your Academy of Skills account password confidential and should not share your login credentials with other people.
If you believe that your account or personal information has been compromised, please contact us promptly.
15. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have a number of rights in relation to your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include:
Right of access
You may ask us for confirmation that we process your personal information and request a copy of personal information we hold about you.
Right to rectification
You may ask us to correct inaccurate personal information or complete information that is incomplete.
Right to erasure
You may ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances. This right is not absolute. We may need to retain certain information where we have a lawful reason or legal obligation to do so.
Right to restriction
You may ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to object
You may object to certain processing based on legitimate interests. You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.
Right to data portability
In certain circumstances, you may be entitled to receive personal information you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that it is transferred to another organisation where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent
Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Rights relating to automated decision-making
Where applicable, you may have rights relating to decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Academy of Skills does not intend to make solely automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about learners unless this is explained to you separately where required.
16. Exercising Your Rights
If you wish to exercise a data protection right or have a question about how Academy of Skills handles your personal information, please contact:
Email: info@academyofskills.org
Post:
Academy of Skills
61 Union Street, Dunstable, England, LU6 1EX
We may need to ask for information reasonably necessary to confirm your identity before responding to certain requests. This helps protect your information from unauthorised disclosure.
We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by applicable data protection law.
You will not normally have to pay a fee to exercise your data protection rights. However, the law permits organisations to charge a reasonable fee or refuse certain requests in limited circumstances, for example where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
17. Complaints to the Information Commissioner's Office
We would appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns about our handling of your personal information.
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Information about your data protection rights and how to make a complaint is available from the Information Commissioner's Office.
Making a complaint to us first does not remove your right to contact the ICO.
18. Children and Young People
Academy of Skills does not knowingly collect personal information from children in circumstances where doing so would be unlawful.
If our services are made available to children or young people, we will take appropriate measures required by applicable data protection law, taking account of the nature of the service and the age of the learner.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.
19. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to websites or services operated by other organisations.
Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy practices.
This Privacy Policy applies to personal information processed by Academy of Skills and does not govern how independent third parties process information when you use their websites or services.
We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by a third party before providing personal information directly to it.
20. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, business practices or legal and regulatory requirements.
The current version will be published on this page and the "Last updated" date at the top will be changed when the policy is revised.
Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring the change to the attention of affected users where required by law.
21. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, the personal information we hold about you or how we use your information, please contact:
Academy of Skills
Company number: 14079024
Registered office: 61 Union Street, Dunstable, England, LU6 1EX
Privacy email: info@academyofskills.org
Website: academyofskills.org