SuniTAFE (“SuniTAFE”, “we”, “us”) collects your personal information during the course enquiry, application, enrolment and throughout your journey as a student. We are committed to responsible management of your personal and health information collected as part of these processes and will comply with the Information Privacy Principles from the Privacy Act 1988, Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Health Privacy Principles from the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) as minimum standards when handling personal and health information, unless otherwise permitted by law.
What information do we collect?
We collect your personal information when you enquire or apply for our training services. Generally, as part of these processes, the personal information we will collect from you includes:
- your name and signature
- address and contact details
- citizenship and/or visa status
- personal characteristics and personal opinions including date of birth, country of birth, gender, language spoken at home, indigenous status, disability status (including types of disability) and employment information
- education details and evidence of your previous qualifications
- student unique identifiers
- financial institution information for the purpose of payment plans and fee refunds
- other information relevant to your course enrolment to facilitate appropriate training and student services.
You may be required to provide evidence of your disability for disability specific courses to enable us to make a determination of your suitability for enrolment.
We ask for the details of a nominated person that in the event of an emergency we can contact on your behalf. It is your responsibility to ensure the person you nominate knows about this arrangement and has given permission to provide their personal details to us.
We use an electronic identity verification service provided by a third-party service provider, VixVerify, to assist in determining your enrolment and study related services, such as eligibility for Government funding, citizenship status and government concession confirmation. You can find out more information including terms and conditions, use of and access to your information via the VixVerify website.
If you do not wish to provide your personal information during enquiry or enrolment it may mean it is not possible for you to enrol into a VET course, or we may not be able to provide you with the specific information, assistance, facilities or services that you have requested, and it may limit opportunities available to you. It may also mean it is not possible for you to obtain a Victorian Government VET subsidy for enrolment.
How do we keep your information secure?
Your personal information is created, stored and transmitted in a variety of paper and electronic formats, and includes databases that are shared across SuniTAFE.
We take reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information we collect, transmit, store or otherwise process, is accurate and complete, and that appropriate measures are implemented and maintained to protect it from accidental or unlawful destruction, misuse, loss, alteration, or unauthorised access or disclosure.
Your academic record is retained indefinitely so that the details of your results can be confirmed together with statistical or historical research purposes.
How do we use your information?
Your personal information will be used to register your interest in a course and to establish and maintain your student entitlements and obligations as part of your enrolment with us. The information will be used to help us engage and communicate with you, assist in the selection process. This may including registering you with an online assessment tool platform and, if applicable, will be used to ensure you have the support and resources needed whilst you are enrolled in your course including practical placement.
Disclosure of your personal information
We will not use or disclose your personal or health information other than the primary purpose of collection unless you have consented or a prescribed exemption applies. Student information can be released in some situations to a third party as outlined below.
Parent/Guardian: If you are under 18 years, we will provide the parent or guardian nominated on your enrolment application with attendance, details of course progress and competencies achieved when this information is requested in writing. We may also discuss your enrolment application with your nominated parent or guardian, including information about course fees.
Employer: If you are enrolled as an apprentice or a trainee we will provide your employer with attendance, details of course progress and competencies achieved. If you are not an apprentice or trainee we will provide your employer details of your attendance, course progression and competencies achieved if your employer has paid your course fees and only when this information is requested in writing.
Job Service Provider: If your fees have been paid by a third party such as a Job Services Provider we will provide details of your attendance, course progression and competencies achieved only when this information is requested in writing.
School: If you are a secondary student undertaking VET, including school based-apprentice, school-based trainee or VETDSS we will provide your school with your attendance, course progression and results achieved.
Host Employers: As part of your course, you may be required to undertake work integrated learning such as practical placements or voluntary workplace activities. In those instances, we may be required to share your personal information with host organisations and/or their agents or representatives to enable you to participate in the placement program.
Commonwealth Government’s Department of Home Affairs: We may use your details to check your Passport or Visa status using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) to confirm your visa conditions, if required for your enrolment application. This may also include study rights, employment conditions (if related to your course entry requirements) and for some eligibility conditions for government funding under the Skills First Contract. If you are an international student, we may disclose personal information to the Commonwealth Government's Department of Home Affairs via Provider Registration and International Students Management System (PRISMS).
Government Agencies: We are required by law to provide some information to government agencies such as the Police force and Centrelink.
Disability or medical conditions: Details of any medical condition or disability disclosed within your enrolment application are provided to our Student Support Services who will use this information to make contact with you and to arrange appropriate support, if required.
Sharing information with Victorian Government
The Victorian Government, through the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Region (the department), develops, monitors and funds vocational education and training (VET) in Victoria. The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that Victorians have access to appropriate and relevant VET Services. Any personal information collected by the Department for VET purposes is protected in accordance with the
Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the
Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
We are required to provide the Department with student and training activity data. This includes personal information collected within the enrolment application and unique identifiers such as the Victorian Student Number (VSN) and the Commonwealth’s Unique Student Identifier (USI). We provide data to the Department in accordance with the VET Student Statistical Collection Guidelines, available at
https://djsir.vic.gov.au/
The Department uses student and training data, including personal information, for a range of VET purposes including administration, monitoring and planning, including interaction between the Department and student where appropriate. The data may also be subjected to data analytics, which seek to determine the likelihood of certain events occurring (such as program of subject completion), which may be relevant to the services provided to the student.
As necessary and where lawful, the Department may disclose VET data, including personal information, to its contractors, other government agencies, professional bodies and/or other organisations for VET-related purposes. In particular, this includes disclosure of VET student and training data to the Commonwealth and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
The Department’s collection and handling of enrolment data and VSNs is authorised under the
Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic). The department is also authorised to collect and handle USIs in accordance with the
Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cth) and the
Student Identifiers Regulation 2014 (Cth).
For information about the way the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Region collects and handles personal information, including access, correction and complaints, go to:
https://djsir.vic.gov.au/
For information about Unique Student Identifiers, including access, correction and complaints, go to:
www.usi.gov.au
Sharing with information with National Vocational Education and Training Regulator
We are required by law (under the
National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to provide data about our vocational education and training activities including personal information we collect about you to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) and the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER).
The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector. The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), the NVETR Act and the DESE National VET Data Policy. DESE is authorised by law, including the
Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information, please refer to
National VET Data Policy.
Personal Information disclosed to NCVER may be used or disclosed for the following purposes:
• issuing a VET Statement of Attainment or VET Qualification, and populating Authenticated VET Transcripts;
• facilitating statistics and research relating to education, including surveys;
• understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information; and
• administering VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation.
For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at
https://ncver.edu.au/privacy. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to
VET Privacy Notice.
Sharing with information with Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
If you are enrolling into a senior secondary course, we are required to submit your personal details, course enrolment, unit completion and results into the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s student record database, Victorian Assessment Software System (VASS), in accordance with the VCAAs administrative requirements and critical deadlines. At the commencement of each year as part of our audit procedure, we will provide you with a copy of your details for you to check and update for correcting within the VASS. Please refer to the
VCAA’s Privacy Policy for more information.
Sharing information with Department of Employment Works and Relations
We collect information if you apply for a VET Student Loan for the purpose of assessing your entitlement to Commonwealth assistance under the H
igher Education Support Act 2003 and allocation of a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN). We will disclose this information to the Department Employment Works and Relations for those purposes. The Department Employment Works and Relations will store the information securely in the Higher Education Information Management System. DET may disclose the information to the Australian Taxation Office. SuniTAFE and the Department Employment Works and Relations will not otherwise disclose the information without the student’s consent unless required or authorised by law. You can find out more about the
Department’s Privacy Policy.
Sharing information with NSW Department of Education
If you are enrolling as an NSW Smart and Skilled apprentice, under the
National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Provision Requirements) Instrument 2020, we are required to collect personal information (information or an opinion about you), collected from you, your parent or guardian, such as your name, Unique Student Identifier, date of birth, contact details, training outcomes and performance, sensitive personal information (including ethnicity or health information) and other enrolment and training activity-related information and disclose that Personal Information to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). Your personal information contained on your enrolment application and your training activity data may be used or disclosed by us for statistical, regulatory and research purposes.
Sharing with other regulators
We may be required by law to disclose personal information with other regulators including Commonwealth Government agencies and regulators located outside of Victoria pursuant to Funding Agreements in place between us and these agencies and regulators or specific legislation requiring us to disclose personal information with these agencies and regulators. We may also be required to disclose personal information to agencies and organisation involved in quality assurance and planning for education such as the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA).
Unique Student Identifier
We will verify that your Unique Student Identifier (USI) is correct during the enrolment application process and during your enrolment, if required. We will only search for your USI or view your VET Transcript where you have provided permission. We will not share your USI or VET Transcript with another training provider.
Student Surveys
You may be contacted to participate in a survey, audit or review conducted by us relating to training. This provides valuable feedback on the delivery of VET programs by us. You have the opportunity to opt out when contacted. You may also be contacted to participate in a survey conducted by NCVER or a Department-endorsed project, audit or review relating to your training. This provides valuable feedback on the delivery of VET programs in Victoria. Please note you may opt out of the NCVER survey at the time of being contacted.
Student Emails
All students automatically receive an email account on the student email system which displays their Student ID, given name and surname. If you do not wish to have your details published in the internal directory you are required to contact and advise the Information Technology department via email
helpdesk@sunitafe.edu.au
Access, correction and complaints
You have the right to seek access to or correction of your own personal information. You may also complain if you believe your privacy has been breached. For further information, please contact the Institute’s Privacy Officer.
Privacy Officer contact details
- By telephone 1300 478 648, Monday to Friday between the hours 8.30 am to 5.00 pm
- By emailing the Privacy Offer at
quality@sunitafe.edu.au
- By writing to us at Privacy Officer, SuniTAFE, 453 Benetook Avenue, Mildura, Victoria 3500
