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TechFirst Women’s Programme Privacy Policy

The TechFirst Women’s Programme is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that any personal information you provide is handled lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how your personal information is collected, used, stored and protected when you apply for or participate in the TechFirst Women’s Programme.

Who we are

TechFirst Women’s Programme is designed to help 300 women across the UK move into paid jobs in AI, cyber security and other high-growth technology sectors. It’s part of the government’s broader TechFirst campaign – a £187m investment in national skills.

The programme supports women at different stages of their careers, including those looking to transition into technology, return to work after a career break or progress within the sector. Through skills development, mentoring, career support and employer matching, participants gain access to real employment opportunities and ongoing support to help them succeed.

For employers, TechFirst Women’s Programme creates access to skilled women with transferable experience, widening talent pipelines and helping address skills shortages in strategically important technology sectors.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. These may include the right to access the personal data we hold about you, request that inaccurate or incomplete information is corrected, ask for your data to be deleted in certain circumstances, and request that the processing of your information is restricted. You may also have the right to object to specific types of processing, request that your personal data is transferred to another organisation where applicable, and withdraw your consent at any time where consent is the legal basis for processing your information.

We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

What information we collect

When you submit an application or participate in the programme, we may collect information including:

  • Name and contact details
  • Email address and telephone number
  • Employment and career history
  • CV information
  • Age band
  • Education, qualifications and skills
  • Information relating to your career goals and interests
  • Interview notes
  • Information relating to your participation in programme activities
  • Communications between you and the programme team
Special category and equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI) data

As part of the application process, we may ask you to provide certain Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) information. This information may include:

  • Sex at birth
  • Ethnicity
  • Disability status and accessibility needs

This information is classified as special category personal data under UK GDPR where applicable.

Providing EDI information is voluntary unless a specific question is required to determine programme eligibility or to satisfy a legal, regulatory or contractual requirement.

Where EDI information is collected:

  • It will be used for monitoring, reporting, evaluation and inclusion purposes.
  • It will not be used as the sole basis for decisions regarding programme participation unless required to assess a programme eligibility criterion.
  • Access will be restricted to authorised personnel with a legitimate business need.
  • Data will be processed in accordance with Article 9 of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 where applicable.

Programme-level reporting may use aggregated or anonymised data to understand participation rates, representation, outcomes and programme impact. Individual participants will not be identified within published reports.

Right to work verification

As part of the employment support and job-matching process, applicants will be required to provide documentation relating to their legal right to work.

Right to Work documentation and verification information will be processed solely by Sanderson, the programme's recruitment partner.

This may include:

  • Passport information
  • Visa documentation
  • Immigration status documentation
  • Share code information
  • Other evidence required to establish eligibility to work in the United Kingdom

How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

  • Assess your eligibility for the programme.
  • Process and manage your application.
  • Communicate with you about your application and participation.
  • Match participants with suitable programme opportunities.
  • Deliver training, support services, mentoring and community activities.
  • Monitor participation, outcomes and programme performance.
  • Meet contractual, legal and reporting obligations.
  • Improve the design and delivery of the programme.

Application data may be used to support assessment processes, including eligibility checks, shortlisting and participant selection activities. The programme platform is being designed to support application workflows, pipeline stages and applicant status updates.

Storing

Applicant and participant information will be stored and processed within programme management systems used by the TechFirst for Women Programme.

The primary Application Tracking System (ATS) used to manage applications and participant records is provided and managed by Skipso.

The Skipso platform may be used to:

  • Process applications
  • Store participant profiles
  • Manage programme workflows
  • Track application status
  • Facilitate communications
  • Support reporting and programme administration

Skipso is required to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data and process information only in accordance with documented programme requirements and applicable data protection legislation.

Sharing data with partners

The TechFirst Women’s Programme is delivered by multiple approved partners who work together to deliver programme services, training, recruitment and community support.

To enable delivery of the programme, we will share the information as described within the policy with exception of Special category and equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI) data.

This information will be used to:

  • Assess applications
  • Match participants to opportunities
  • Deliver programme activities
  • Provide support and guidance
  • Monitor programme outcomes

Only information necessary for programme delivery will be shared between partners.

Training partner data sharing ( CAPSLOCK)

Where you are enrolled onto foundational training delivered by CAPSLOCK, the following information may be shared with CAPSLOCK to enable the creation and management of your learner account:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Email address

This information will be used solely for:

  • Creating your training account
  • Providing access to training content
  • Managing attendance and participation
  • Supporting learning delivery
  • Reporting programme participation and completion metrics

CAPSLOCK will act as an independent data processor or controller (as appropriate) and will process your information in accordance with its own privacy obligations and applicable data protection legislation.

Sharing data with employers

As part of the TechFirst for Women Programme, we may share relevant personal information with participating employers to facilitate candidate matching, job applications, recruitment activities, and employment opportunities.

Where you choose to apply for a role or consent to being matched with an employer, we may share information such as your name, contact details, CV, employment history, qualifications, skills, experience, application responses, and other information relevant to assessing your suitability for a vacancy.

We will only share information that is necessary for the recruitment and selection process and with employers who have agreed to process your personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Employers receiving your information will act as independent Data Controllers for their own recruitment activities and will be responsible for providing information about how they process your personal data. We encourage you to review the employer's privacy notice before proceeding with any application.

We will not share special category personal data, such as information relating to health, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, unless you have provided explicit consent or there is another lawful basis to do so under applicable data protection laws.

You may withdraw your consent to candidate matching at any time by contacting us. However, this will not affect processing that has already taken place before consent was withdrawn.

How will my personal information be used and protected?

Your personal information will only be used for legitimate programme-related purposes.

We implement appropriate organisational and technical security measures to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

All organisations handling personal data on behalf of the programme are required to maintain appropriate security and confidentiality arrangements.

Your information will not be sold to third parties.

Employer Contact Information and Job Registration

When you register an organisation and submit a job opportunity through the platform, we collect and process personal information relating to your role as an employer representative. This may include your name, job title, organisation name, business email address, telephone number, and any information you provide in relation to a job vacancy.

We use this information to:

  • Create and manage your employer account.
  • Publish and administer job opportunities.
  • Match suitable candidates to your vacancies.
  • Communicate with you about your job postings, candidate applications, interviews, and recruitment activities.
  • Provide support and service updates relating to the platform.
  • Monitor and evaluate programme outcomes and employer engagement.

The lawful basis for processing this information is our legitimate interests in operating and administering the programme and facilitating recruitment opportunities, and where applicable, the performance of a contract or steps taken prior to entering into a contract.

Your information will only be shared with authorised programme delivery partners and candidates where necessary to support the recruitment and matching process. We will not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without informing you.

We retain employer contact and job-related information only for as long as necessary to administer the programme, meet reporting requirements, comply with legal obligations, and resolve any disputes or enquiries.

How long will my data be retained?

We will retain your information only for as long as necessary to:

  • Manage your application and participation;
  • Deliver programme services;
  • Complete monitoring and evaluation activities;
  • Meet legal, regulatory and contractual obligations;
  • Resolve disputes or investigate complaints where required.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and applicable legal requirements.

Once personal information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised or destroyed in accordance with our data retention procedures.

Can I withdraw my consent or request deletion of my data?

Yes.

Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

You also have the right to request that your personal information be deleted, subject to any legal, contractual or regulatory requirements that require us to retain certain information.

Please note that:

  • Withdrawal of consent will not affect any processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
  • Deletion of your information may affect our ability to continue processing your application or provide programme services.
  • Some information may need to be retained where required by law or for legitimate programme administration purposes.

Requests can be submitted using the programme contact details provided below.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how your information is used, please contact the TechFirst Programme Team.

techfirstwomen@plexal.com

If you remain dissatisfied with how your personal data has been handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk