Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 15 September 2026

ApprentiStart takes your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it and what happens to it when you use ApprentiStart.

Because apprenticeships are often searched for by young people, including people under 18, we have designed our approach to privacy with younger users in mind. We apply a high level of privacy protection to all candidate users.

Your privacy – the simple version

If you're using ApprentiStart to look for an apprenticeship, here's what we think you need to know:

  • We only ask for information we need.
  • Your candidate profile is private. Employers cannot search for or view candidate profiles on ApprentiStart.
  • We don't sell your personal information.
  • You can search for apprenticeships, save jobs, apply for jobs and choose to receive job alerts.
  • If you apply for a job on an employer's website, the employer will have its own privacy policy explaining what happens to the information you give them.
  • You can ask us what information we have about you and, in many circumstances, ask us to correct or delete it.
  • If your candidate profile is inactive for more than two years, it will be automatically deleted.

We use some cookies and tracking technologies to understand how people use ApprentiStart and measure our advertising. You can accept or reject these using our cookie controls.

If you're young and you're unsure about giving us information, you can ask a parent, carer, teacher or another adult you trust for help.

You can also ask us. Email jo@apprentistart.org.uk.

1. Who we are

ApprentiStart is operated by ApprentiStart CIC.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, ApprentiStart CIC is the data controller for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. This means we are responsible for deciding why and how that information is used.

Our contact details are:

ApprentiStart CIC

Whitechapel Farm

Haydon Bridge

Northumberland

NE47 6DZ

United Kingdom

Email: jo@apprentistart.org.uk

2. Our approach to young people's privacy

ApprentiStart helps people discover apprenticeship opportunities and is likely to be used by people under the age of 18.

We therefore apply a high level of privacy protection to candidate users rather than requiring people to prove their age.

This means we aim to collect only the information we need to provide ApprentiStart, keep candidate information private by default and avoid unnecessary sharing of personal information.

Candidate profiles are not searchable or visible to employers.

We do not use the information contained in candidate profiles for behavioural advertising.

Where we introduce new features involving personal information, we will consider the privacy, safety and best interests of younger users when designing those features.

The ICO's Children's Code requires high-privacy defaults and says services should collect and retain only the minimum personal information necessary for the elements of a service a child is actively using.

3. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use ApprentiStart.

If you create a candidate account or profile, we may collect:

Account information, such as your name, email address and information needed to manage your account.

Profile information, such as your location, how far you would travel for an apprenticeship, the types of apprenticeships you are interested in and when you would like to start an apprenticeship.

Saved jobs, if you choose to bookmark apprenticeship opportunities.

Job alert information, such as your email address, location and the search criteria or preferences you choose for your alerts.

We deliberately limit the information we ask candidates to provide. For example, we do not currently require candidates to provide a CV, telephone number or exact home address when creating a profile.

If you apply for an apprenticeship directly through ApprentiStart, we may collect information you provide as part of your application, such as your contact details, answers to application questions and your CV or other documents you choose to submit.

If you create or use an employer account, we may collect information including your name, business contact details, organisation details, account information and information about services purchased from ApprentiStart.

We may also collect technical information about use of the website, such as IP address, browser or device information, pages visited and interactions with the website.

4. How we use your information

We may use your personal information to create and manage your account and profile, provide apprenticeship search functionality, allow you to bookmark jobs, send job alerts you have requested, operate employer accounts, provide purchased employer services, process payments, respond to enquiries, maintain the security and operation of ApprentiStart, understand and improve use of the website, prevent misuse or fraud and comply with legal obligations.

We do not currently allow employers to search candidate profiles or obtain candidate contact information from our candidate database.

5. Our legal reasons for using your information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. The basis we rely upon will depend on why we are using the information.

We may use contract where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested or to take steps at your request before providing a service.

We may use legitimate interests where we have a legitimate reason for processing information, such as operating, securing and improving ApprentiStart. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on users and give particular consideration to younger users.

We may use consent where you have actively chosen an optional use of your information and consent is the appropriate lawful basis. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it.

We may use legal obligation where processing is necessary for us to comply with the law.

Agreeing to this Privacy Policy does not provide blanket consent for us to use your personal information for any purpose.

6. Candidate profiles and employers

Candidate profiles are currently private from employers.

Employers cannot search the ApprentiStart candidate database, browse candidate profiles or use ApprentiStart to obtain candidates' contact information from those profiles.

If we consider introducing candidate-search functionality in the future, we will review the privacy and safeguarding implications before doing so.

We will not simply make existing private candidate profiles searchable by employers without considering the appropriate privacy protections and choices for users.

This approach is consistent with the Children's Code principle that children's information should not be made visible or accessible to other users by default.

7. Applying for apprenticeships

ApprentiStart helps you discover apprenticeship opportunities offered by employers.

Many apprenticeship vacancies on ApprentiStart link to an employer's own website or another recruitment website where you complete the application.

If you leave ApprentiStart and provide personal information directly to another organisation, that organisation is responsible for explaining how it will use your information. You should read its privacy information before submitting your application.

For some vacancies, an employer may provide an email address for applications. ApprentiStart displays the email address, but your application is sent by you using your own email provider directly to the employer. ApprentiStart does not receive or process the contents of an application sent in this way.

For some vacancies, you may be able to complete your application directly through ApprentiStart. In this case, we process the information you provide as part of your application, which may include your contact details, answers to application questions, CV and other documents you choose to submit. We make this information available to the employer whose apprenticeship you have chosen to apply for so that they can consider and manage your application.

ApprentiStart may record when an Apply button or external application link is clicked. This helps us understand whether vacancies are helping people discover apprenticeship opportunities. An Apply Click does not necessarily mean that an application was subsequently completed.

8. Job alerts

You can choose to receive apprenticeship job alerts.

We use the information you provide when creating an alert to identify relevant vacancies and send them to the email address you provide.

You can unsubscribe from job alerts if you no longer want to receive them.

Job alerts are separate from general marketing communications.

We do not currently use candidate accounts to send general marketing emails.

If we introduce optional marketing communications in the future, we will provide appropriate information and choices before doing so.

9. Cookies and tracking technologies

ApprentiStart uses cookies and similar technologies.

Some are necessary cookies. These are required for things such as website security, account functionality, CookieHub consent management and Google reCAPTCHA. Necessary cookies cannot always be switched off because the website may not function correctly without them.

We also use Google Analytics to understand how people use ApprentiStart and help us improve the website.

We use Google Ads conversion tracking to help us understand the effectiveness of our advertising.

Google Analytics and Google Ads tracking are non-essential technologies and are controlled through our cookie-consent system. You can accept or reject non-essential cookies and change your preferences using our cookie settings.

We do not provide information contained in candidate profiles to advertising platforms for behavioural advertising.

Online advertising storage and access technologies require consent under the ICO's current guidance.

10. Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information.

We use trusted technology providers to help us operate ApprentiStart. These may process personal information on our behalf where necessary to provide their services.

These include:

JBoard, which provides the technology used to operate the ApprentiStart job board and account functionality.

Stripe, which provides payment-processing services for employer purchases.

Google, where relevant to services including Google Analytics, Google Ads conversion measurement and Google reCAPTCHA.

CookieHub, which provides our cookie-consent management system.

Jotform, Jotform, which provides online forms used to collect information from employers when setting up and delivering certain paid ApprentiStart services. This may include employer contact details, organisation and vacancy information, campaign requirements and materials uploaded by the employer. Our Jotform account is configured to store form data within the European Union, using Jotform's European data centre in Germany.

JBoard also uses service providers and subprocessors to operate its platform.

We may also disclose information if required by law or where necessary to protect the rights, security or safety of ApprentiStart, our users or others.

11. Payments

Payments for paid ApprentiStart employer services are processed using Stripe.

Payment information may be collected and processed by Stripe rather than stored directly by ApprentiStart.

We may receive information about transactions, such as confirmation of payment, the amount paid and information necessary to provide or administer the service purchased.

12. How long we keep your information

We don't keep personal information for longer than we reasonably need it.

Candidate profiles: If your candidate profile has been inactive for more than 730 days (two years), the profile and the information contained within it will be automatically and permanently deleted.

Deletion of a candidate profile may not automatically delete the underlying user account. Some basic account information may therefore remain until the account is deleted or until we determine that it is no longer necessary to retain it.

Job alerts: We keep the information necessary to provide an active job alert until you unsubscribe or it is otherwise no longer required.

Employer and payment records: We may keep appropriate records for as long as necessary to provide services, resolve issues and comply with accounting, tax and other legal obligations.

For other information, how long we retain it depends on why it was collected, whether we still need it and whether there are legal reasons for retaining it.

We review the information we hold and delete or anonymise information that is no longer required.

13. Where your information is processed

Some of the technology providers used by ApprentiStart process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

This includes JBoard and some of the technology providers it uses to operate the platform.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are used where required under UK data protection law.

You can contact us at jo@apprentistart.org.uk if you would like more information about international transfers involving your personal information.

14. Keeping your information secure

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

We also seek to minimise the amount of personal information we collect and limit access to it where appropriate.

No online service can guarantee absolute security, but protecting personal information — particularly information relating to younger users — is an important part of how we operate ApprentiStart.

15. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you the right to:

  • ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
  • ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
  • ask us to delete your personal information;
  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • receive certain information in a portable format;
  • withdraw your consent where we rely on consent; and
  • complain about how your information has been used.

Not every right applies in every situation.

You also have the right to object where we process your personal information on the basis of our legitimate interests.

You don't lose your privacy rights because you're under 18. Young people can contact us directly if they have a question about their information or want to exercise their data protection rights.

To contact us about your personal information, email jo@apprentistart.org.uk.

16. Automated decision-making

We do not currently use candidate personal information to make solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

We may use information such as your job-search criteria, interests or location to help provide relevant apprenticeship vacancies or job alerts.

This helps you discover opportunities. It does not make recruitment decisions on behalf of employers.

17. Links to employers and other websites

ApprentiStart contains links to employers and other third-party websites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites operated by other organisations.

When you leave ApprentiStart, you should check the privacy information provided by the organisation whose website you are visiting before giving it personal information.

18. Complaints

If you're concerned about how we've used your personal information, please contact us at jo@apprentistart.org.uk. We will try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.

Make a data protection complaint to the ICO

19. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy if ApprentiStart changes or where necessary to reflect changes in law or guidance.

If we make a significant change to how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring the change to users' attention where appropriate.

The date at the top of this page shows when this Privacy Policy was last updated.