The dedication and hard work of staff and students can be celebrated and recorded for historical purposes through the use of photographs, videos, testimonials and audio recordings. Individuals are encouraged to partake in photographs to mark these special occasions.

Where an individual can be identified or they are the focus of the above, that information will be recognised as personal data. The College will process all personal data in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulations ( UK GDPR). We seek written consent for use of material featuring single individuals but not where a group of individuals features.

All images and recordings will be proportionate, necessary and non-invasive. Staff will demonstrate an ethical and responsible approach when processing such information and respect the privacy of individuals who do not wish to take part, however, there may be occasions when photographs are a requirement of the course e.g. to evidence ‘before/after’ a task.

This Notice will give you further information about how your personal data will be used.

The Data Protection Officer email for the College is informationrights@serc.ac.uk

Lawful Basis

SERC is committed to building its reputation with stakeholders however we must have a lawful basis to use your personal data for such reasons:

Article 6.1 (f) - processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child e.g. it is in the interests of the College to promote courses, programmes, events and achievements to enhance student numbers during enrolment campaigns and enhance business engagement which in turn support the economic position of the College.

The College will always make individuals aware of photos, video etc taking place through various ways such as pop-up stands, verbal announcements, notifications on emails/invitations/presentations. If you agree to stand in a photograph it will be assumed you are happy for your image to be used in line with this Privacy Notice.

When processing individuals alone, vulnerable groups, or under 13’s, the College will rely on Article 6.1 (a) Consent as the lawful basis for processing with appropriate forms provided.

How Will Your Information be Processed?

Photographs, videos, recordings and testimonials may be promoted via publications such as the SERC prospectus, external marketing, social media platforms, presentations (including those delivered to external stakeholders), student / staff intranet.

Graduation ceremonies are regarded as public events and may be recorded and/or live streamed by the College.

Categories of Personal Data

To assist Marketing deliver main functions in promoting the College via advertising, online presence, newsworthy success stories for staff and students we will process the following information about you:

Images (video / photograph)
Testimonial
Recorded speech
Name
Course programme
Qualifications achieved
Awards attained
Contact details e.g. telephone number/email address (not in public domain)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

The College uses Microsoft Copilot and other AI technologies to support and enhance service delivery, internal operations, and user experience. These tools may assist with tasks such as:

Generating and summarising content
Transcribing conversations
Identifying key actions from meetings

Where personal data is processed by AI tools, this is done in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Safeguards are in place to ensure:

Data minimisation – only necessary data is processed
Purpose limitation – data is used solely for defined purposes
Access controls – data is restricted to authorised personnel

Where appropriate, the College conducts Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to assess risks and implement necessary protections. Individuals will be informed when AI tools are used in ways that may affect them.

The College does not use personal data to train AI models. All AI-generated outputs are reviewed to ensure fairness, accuracy, and compliance with data protection principles.

AI tools are used to assist staff and do not make automated decisions about individuals. Final decisions involving personal data are always subject to human oversight.

Who will have access to my information, or who will you share it with?

To enable us to promote information for the purposes described above, your information, with the exception of your contact details, may be shared with the following third parties:

Newspaper publishers
Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram)
Other publications (e.g. industry specific magazine)

We require third party service providers to respect the security of your data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

The College respects people’s privacy and if, after taking part in any of the above promotional activities, you change your mind, you can contact us to request a restriction to further processing. Each request will be considered on a case by case basis and where possible, the College will endeavour to grant your request. Details on how to submit this request are available on our website (see link below).

For full details on our Privacy Notice and your Rights, please visit our website Customer Privacy Notice