NCVER privacy notice    

TAFE Queensland handles your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy (which you can view here: https://tafeqld.edu.au/privacy).  By enrolling with TAFE Queensland you are acknowledging that you have read and agree to the collection, use and disclosure of your information in accordance with the policy.  The NCVER Privacy Notice in this form is supplementary to the TAFE Queensland Privacy Policy.

Why we collect your personal information

As a registered training organisation (RTO), TAFE Queensland collects your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us.

If you do not provide personal information to us we may not be able to enrol you as a student.

How we use your personal information 

TAFE Queensland uses your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.

How we disclose your personal information 

We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to 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.

We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority. 

How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information 

The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.

The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:

• administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation
• facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage
• understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.

The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf.

The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at www.ncver.edu.au/privacy.

If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact the TAFE Queensland Privacy Officer at privacy@tafeqld.edu.au.

DEWR 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 about how the DEWR will handle your personal information, please refer to the DEWR VET Data Privacy Notice at https://www.dewr.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice.

Surveys

You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted.  For students who have taken up state or federally funded study, some surveys are required as a part of the terms and conditions of your funded enrolment.

Contact information

At any time, you may contact TAFE Queensland to:

• request access to your personal information
• correct your personal information
• make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled
• ask a question about this Privacy Notice.

Privacy is a priority at TAFE Queensland. Your information will be stored securely. If you wish to access or correct any of your information, discuss how it has been managed, or have a concern or complaint about the way your personal information has been collected, used, stored, or disclosed, please contact the TAFE Queensland Privacy Officer at privacy@tafeqld.edu.au. For those students who require assistance in reading and understanding this Privacy Notice, please contact a TAFE Queensland Customer Service Centre prior to enrolling.

USI Privacy notice    

Applying for a Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Your USI (Unique Student Identifier) is your individual education number for life. It also creates an online record of your Australian training achievements.

You need a USI if you are:

• a student studying nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET)
• a higher education student seeking a HELP loan or Commonwealth Supported Place
• a higher education student graduating in 2023 or beyond.

You can apply for a USI here: https://www.usi.gov.au/students/get-a-usi. As your education or training provider we will need to collect and verify your USI. 

Finding your Unique Student Identifier (USI) (if you already have one)

You may already have a USI if you have done any nationally recognised training or tertiary education, which could include training at work, completing a first aid course or RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) course, getting a white card, or studying at another TAFE, training organisation or higher education provider. It is important that you try to find out whether you already have a USI before attempting to create a new one. You should not have more than one USI. To check if you already have a USI, use the ‘Forgotten USI’ link on the USI website at https://www.usi.gov.au/faqs/i-have-forgotten-my-usi/.

USI Privacy Notice (Where we apply for a USI on your behalf)

In limited circumstances TAFE Queensland may apply for a Unique Student Identifier (USI) on behalf of a student under the Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cth). 

By authorising us to apply for a USI on your behalf you are acknowledging that you understand and consent to this USI Privacy Notice and you understand that if you do not provide all the information requested, or if it is inaccurate, it may affect the Student Identifiers Registrar’s ability to provide you with a USI.

The information provided by you through the USI application process:\

• is collected by the Student Identifiers Registrar for the purposes of:
  -   processing my application for, verifying and giving a USI;
  -   resolving problems with a USI, and
  -   creating authenticated VET transcripts;
• may be disclosed to:
  -   Commonwealth and State government departments and agencies, Boards of Study, and specified Higher Education and VET-related bodies for:
          o  the purposes of administering and auditing VET and Higher Education, including education and training providers, VET programs, and higher education courses
          o  education related policy and research purposes; and
          o to assist in determining eligibility for education and training subsidies, funding or financial assistance;
  -   VET and Higher Education Regulators to enable them to perform their VET and Higher Education regulatory functions;
  -   VET Admission bodies for the purposes of administering VET and VET programs;
  -   Tertiary Admission Centres (TACs) for the purposes of administering Higher Education courses;
  -   current and former registered education and training providers to enable them to deliver VET and Higher Education courses to me, meet their reporting obligations under the VET and Higher Education standards and government contracts and assist in determining eligibility for training subsidies and higher education funding;
  -   schools for the purposes of delivering VET courses to me and reporting on these courses;
  -   the National Centre for Vocational Education Research for the purpose of creating authenticated VET transcripts, resolving problems with USIs and for the collection, preparation and auditing of national VET statistics;
  -   researchers for education and training related research purposes;
  -   any other person or agency that may be authorised or required by law to access the information;
  -   any entity contractually engaged by the Student Identifiers Registrar to assist in the performance of his or her functions in the administration of the USI system; and
• will not otherwise be disclosed without my consent unless authorised or required by law.

Further information for students

Students can find out more about how the Student Identifiers Registrar collects, uses and discloses their personal information:

• in the Student Identifiers Registrar’s Privacy Policy;
• by emailing the Registrar at BusinessStrategy@usi.gov.au;
• by calling  1300 857 536 or from outside Australia  +61 2 6218 0994.

Page last updated 28 June 2024