Privacy Policy

‍1. Introduction

Get Connected Training ("we", "us", "our") is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO No. 45401) based at 59 Lawnton Pocket Road, Lawnton QLD 4501. We deliver nationally recognised training and assessment across the construction, mining, oil, gas, civil and related industries.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of students, prospective students, employers, website visitors and other individuals whose personal information we collect. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By enrolling in a course, submitting an enquiry, or using this website, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Policy.

2. What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect varies depending on your relationship with us. It may include:

• Identity and contact information: full name, date of birth, gender, residential address, email address, telephone number, emergency contact details.
• Government identifiers: Unique Student Identifier (USI), and where required for evidence of identity, copies of identification documents (e.g. driver licence, passport, Medicare card).
• Education and employment information: prior qualifications, employment status, employer details, language/literacy/numeracy information, disability or learning support needs.
• AVETMISS data: data we are required to collect under the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard, including country of birth, language spoken at home, Indigenous status, schooling and labour-force status.
• Training records: enrolment information, course progress, assessment results, attendance, competency outcomes, statements of attainment and certificates issued.
• Financial information: course fees paid, payment method (we do not store full credit card numbers — payments are processed by third-party providers and/or RTOPilot), invoices and receipts.
• Health and safety information: pre-existing medical conditions or injuries relevant to high-risk work training, fitness-for-training declarations, incident reports.
• Website and technical information: IP address, browser type, pages visited, referring URL, device information, cookies and similar tracking data collected when you visit our website.
• Communications: records of enquiries, complaints, feedback and other correspondence with us.

If you choose not to provide personal information we request, we may not be able to enrol you, issue a qualification, or provide the service you have asked for.

3. How we collect your information

We collect personal information in a number of ways, including:

• Directly from you when you submit an enquiry form, enrol in a course, attend training, complete assessments, or contact us by phone, email or in person.
• Through our booking and enrolment platform (RTOPilot) when you book a course on our website.
• From your employer or a third party paying for your training, where applicable.
• From government departments, funding bodies and the Unique Student Identifier Registrar.
• Automatically through our website using cookies, analytics tools, and tracking technologies (see Section 9).
• From publicly available sources where relevant to verifying credentials or compliance.

4. How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

• Process enrolments and deliver training and assessment services.
• Verify your identity and apply for or verify your USI on your behalf where you have authorised us to do so.
• Issue statements of attainment, certificates and other qualifications.
• Manage payment, invoicing and refunds.
• Communicate with you about your course, including reminders, schedule changes and post-training follow-up.
• Meet our regulatory and reporting obligations as an RTO (see Section 5).
• Improve our courses, website, marketing and services.
• Respond to enquiries, feedback and complaints.
• Send marketing communications about our courses and services (you can opt out at any time — see Section 10).
• Comply with our legal obligations and protect our legitimate interests.

5. When we disclose your information

As an RTO, we are required to share certain information with government and regulatory bodies. We may disclose your personal information to:

• The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) — our regulator — for audit, compliance and quality assurance purposes.
• The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) — for inclusion in AVETMISS data collections used for statistical, research and reporting purposes. See https://www.ncver.edu.au/privacy for how NCVER handles this data.
• The Student Identifiers Registrar — for the purpose of applying for, verifying or accessing your USI.
• State and Commonwealth government departments — including funding bodies, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and state training authorities.
• Your employer or sponsor — where your employer is paying for or has arranged your training, we may share enrolment details, attendance and outcomes.
• Third-party training partners and assessors — where another RTO, trainer or assessor is involved in delivering your training under a partnership or auspice arrangement.
• Service providers — including RTOPilot (our enrolment platform), payment processors, IT and cloud hosting providers, email and CRM platforms, who handle data on our behalf under confidentiality obligations.
• Insurers, lawyers and professional advisors — where reasonably necessary.
• Law enforcement and regulatory bodies — where required or authorised by law.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

6. Storage and security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include:

• Storing electronic records in secure, access-controlled systems with reputable cloud providers.
• Restricting access to personal information to staff who need it to perform their duties.
• Using encryption for the transmission of sensitive information where appropriate.
• Maintaining secure physical records and disposing of records securely when no longer required.

Some of our service providers may store data outside Australia (for example, in the United States or European Union). Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers are bound by privacy obligations comparable to the Australian Privacy Principles.

We are required by law to retain certain student records, including assessment records and records of qualifications issued, for a minimum of 30 years.

7. Accessing and correcting your information

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Request that we correct any information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
• Request a copy of your training records and statements of attainment.

To make a request, contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable period (usually within 30 days). There is no fee for making a request, although a reasonable cost-recovery fee may apply for providing copies of extensive records.

We may decline to give access in limited circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act — for example, where it would be unlawful or would compromise another person's privacy. If we decline, we will explain why in writing.

8. Unique Student Identifier (USI)

From 1 January 2015, all students undertaking nationally recognised training in Australia must have a USI. Without a USI, we are unable to issue you with a statement of attainment or qualification.

You can create your own USI at 

https://www.usi.gov.au

Or, with your consent, we can create one on your behalf. To do so, we will collect and submit identification information to the USI Registrar. The Registrar's privacy policy is available on the USI website.

Information about your USI and your training records will be accessible to you, us, and other authorised bodies (including future RTOs you enrol with, if you consent to share access).

9. Website cookies and analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences, understand how visitors use the site, and improve user experience. We may use:

• Essential cookies: required for the website to function (e.g. session and security cookies).
• Analytics cookies: such as Google Analytics, which collect aggregated information about visitor behaviour. This data is used to improve site performance and content.
• Marketing cookies: used to measure the effectiveness of advertising and to deliver more relevant content, including remarketing pixels where used.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the website. Where consent is required, you will be presented with a cookie banner on your first visit.

We use Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics and Google Search Console for site analytics. Google's privacy practices are described at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

10. Marketing communications

From time to time, we may send you information about courses, promotions, events or industry news that we believe may interest you. We will only do this where we have your consent or where otherwise permitted by law.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email we send you.
• Contacting us directly using the details in Section 12.

Opting out of marketing will not affect operational communications about courses you are enrolled in (e.g. schedule changes, assessment results).

11. Complaints

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, you can make a complaint by contacting us in writing using the details in Section 12. Please include:

• Your name and contact details.
• A clear description of the issue.
• Any supporting information.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to provide a response within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer the complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992

12. How to contact us

For privacy enquiries, requests for access or correction, or complaints, contact us at:

Get Connected Training

59 Lawnton Pocket Road, Lawnton QLD 4501

Email: info@getconnectedtraining.com.au

Phone: 0400 073 510

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be available on our website, with the "Last updated" date at the top of the document. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify you (for example, by email or by a notice on our website).

End of Privacy Policy.

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