Privacy Policy

1. Who we are and what this Policy covers

Skill IT Education Pvt Ltd is the "Data Fiduciary" under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the "DPDP Act"): the organisation that decides why and how your personal data is processed. We are also a "body corporate" under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

This Policy applies to personal data of:

• visitors to our website and social media pages
• people who make an enquiry, book a demo or free session, or ask for career counselling
• students and learners, and their parents or guardians where relevant
• representatives of our hiring, academic and internship partners

It does not cover third-party websites that we link to (see Section 13).

2. Information we collect

a) Information you provide directly

• Name, email address, phone number and location, when you fill out an enquiry, contact, demo-booking or enrolment form
• Educational background, work experience and career goals, when relevant to programme counselling
• Payment and billing details, when you enrol in a paid programme (processed by our payment partners; we do not store full card details)
• Any other information you choose to share with our counsellors through chat, email or phone

b) Information collected automatically

• IP address, browser type, device information and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on the site, referring and exit pages, and click patterns
• Cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7)

c) Information from third parties

• Information from advertising and analytics partners (for example Google and Meta) when you interact with our ads or landing pages
• Information from partners or referral sources, where you have consented to be contacted

d) What we do not collect

We do not ask for passwords, card numbers, CVV codes or UPI PINs. We do not collect sensitive information such as health, biometric, religion, caste or political details. We do not ask for your Aadhaar number for enrolment. If a specific law or certification body ever requires an identity document, we tell you before we collect it, ask for only what is needed, and ask you to mask any numbers that are not required. If you send us something we did not ask for, we delete what we do not need.

If we record a session or take photographs or videos at our centre or at an event, we tell you in advance, and we use images that identify you for publicity only with your consent.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide information about our courses
• Process enrolments, registrations and payments
• Deliver course content, certificates and academic support
• Send updates, offers, newsletters and marketing communications (you may opt out at any time)
• Improve our website, programmes and student experience
• Comply with legal, regulatory and accounting requirements
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse or security incidents

What we do not do

• We do not sell or rent your personal information.
• We do not use your data for a purpose that is unrelated to what we told you, without asking you again.
• We do not make decisions that significantly affect you (such as admission or certification) using only automated tools.
• We do not use hidden or pre-ticked boxes to obtain your consent.

4. Legal basis and your consent

Under the DPDP Act we process your personal data on the basis of your consent, or for a "legitimate use" that the Act permits. In practice this means:

• Your consent, for example when you submit a form or agree to receive marketing messages. Our notice tells you what we collect and why, and your consent is free, specific, informed and given by a clear action.
• A legitimate use permitted by law, for example when you voluntarily give us your details to enquire about or enrol in a programme and have not told us you do not agree to their use for that purpose.
• Compliance with a legal obligation, or with an order of a court or authority, for example tax, accounting and audit requirements.

For "sensitive personal data or information" under the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (the "SPDI Rules"), such as financial information, we ask for your consent in writing, including by electronic means, before we collect it.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by writing to us (see Section 14). Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that already took place, and we will explain any consequence, for example that we may no longer be able to provide a service that needs the data.

5. Sharing of information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where it is needed, with only the data that is needed, and under written commitments to protect it. We may share it with:

• Service providers who help us operate our business, such as payment gateways, email, SMS and WhatsApp providers, CRM and learning-platform tools and hosting providers, bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations
• Instructors and academic partners, as needed to deliver training and certification
• Certification and examination bodies, when you register for an external certification through us
• Hiring and internship partners, only with your consent and only the profile details you approve
• Professional advisers such as auditors and lawyers, under duties of confidentiality
• Legal authorities, where required by law, a court order or a lawful request, or to protect our rights, safety or property
• A successor organisation, if Skill IT is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, on the same protections

6. Where and how we store your information

Your information is stored in secured systems that we control or that trusted hosting and cloud providers operate for us. We keep access limited to people who need it for their work, protect data in transit with encryption, keep backups, and follow the retention periods in Section 8.

Where practicable we keep data in India. If a provider processes data outside India, we do so only where the law permits, under a written contract, and never to a country that the Central Government has restricted. Payment system data is stored in India as the Reserve Bank of India requires.

7. Cookies and tracking technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Remember your preferences
• Analyse site traffic and usage patterns
• Serve relevant advertisements

Essential cookies keep the site working. Analytics and advertising cookies are used only to understand and improve our site and campaigns, and we ask for your consent for them where the law requires it. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of interest-based advertising through the controls offered by Google and Meta. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality.

8. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including maintaining academic records, meeting legal and tax obligations and resolving disputes. Marketing data is retained until you opt out or withdraw consent. Our usual periods are:

When a period ends we delete or irreversibly anonymise the data securely, unless a law requires us to keep it longer.

9. Data security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures, including access controls, encryption in transit and restricted internal access, to protect your information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. Our people are bound by confidentiality and trained to handle personal data properly, and we review our providers' safeguards. Our Data Compliance Policy describes these controls in more detail.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a personal data breach occurs that affects you, we will notify you and the authorities as the law requires (see the Data Compliance Policy).

10. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, including the DPDP Act, you have the right to:

• Access a summary of the personal information we hold about you, how we process it, and who we have shared it with
• Request correction of inaccurate or misleading information, completion of incomplete information, and updating
• Request erasure of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Withdraw your consent, including for marketing communications, at any time
• Have your grievance about how we handle your data addressed by us (see Section 14)
• Nominate another person to exercise your rights if you die or cannot exercise them
• Complain to the Data Protection Board of India, as the Act provides

To exercise these rights, write to us using the details in Section 14. We may ask you to confirm your identity so that no one else can obtain your data. We acknowledge requests within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 30 days, and in any case within the time the law prescribes. There is no charge for reasonable requests. If we cannot fully act on a request, for example because a law requires us to keep a record, we explain why.

As the DPDP Act also asks of every person, please give us accurate information, do not impersonate anyone, and do not make false or frivolous complaints.

11. Children's privacy

Our services are intended for individuals who are at least 18 years old, or who enrol with the consent of a parent or guardian where applicable. Under the DPDP Act, we process the personal data of a person under 18 only with the verifiable consent of a parent or lawful guardian. We do not track or monitor the behaviour of children, and we do not show them targeted advertising. If we learn that we collected a child's data without appropriate consent, we delete it.

12. Marketing communications, calls and messages

We send you offers, updates and newsletters by email, SMS, WhatsApp or phone only if you have agreed to receive them. You can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link, by replying STOP, or by writing to us. We respect the National Customer Preference Register and the rules of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on commercial communications. Messages that are essential to a service you have taken, such as fee receipts or class schedules, may still be sent.

13. Third-party links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (for example social media and partner platforms). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.

14. Contact us and our Grievance Officer

If you have questions, concerns or requests about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise any of the rights described in Section 10, please reach out to us through any of the channels on this page. We aim to acknowledge all privacy-related requests within 48 hours and resolve them within 30 days.

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and other applicable Indian data protection regulations, any grievance or complaint about the processing of your personal data may be addressed to our Grievance Officer at the email and postal address above, marked "Attn: Grievance Officer". If we do not resolve your grievance, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India as the Act provides. For consumer matters you may also approach the consumer forums under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

15. Governing law

This Policy is governed by the laws of India. Subject to any rights you have under law, the courts at Hyderabad, Telangana have jurisdiction over disputes arising from it.

16. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated version is posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. If a change is significant, or the law requires it, we tell you directly and ask for your consent again where needed. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.