Privacy Policy

• Browsing
• Limiting Collection
• Safeguarding Information and User Access

Introduction

Respecting your privacy is a priority for Compétences Québec. We are responsible for maintaining and protecting the Personal Information under our control. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you of our practices regarding the Personal Information you provide through this site.

Compétences Québec (hereinafter referred to as "we") is committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of your personally identifiable information (hereinafter referred to as "Personal Information"). As part of this commitment, our privacy policy governs our actions relating to the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information. Our privacy policy is based upon the values set by the Canadian Standards Association's Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. The following policy has been updated in accordance with the Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of Personal Information, or "Act 25".

Browsing

Compétences Québec uses Google Analytics, linked to Google Ads and Google Search Console, which is a tool used to measure web traffic and analyze visits to a website. Using cookies, Google Analytics collects information about your browsing behaviour on some or all pages of the website. The de-identified information is used for statistical purposes to improve your experience.

Privacy

You can set your browser to block cookies by configuring your Internet browser settings, but this may affect your experience and limit access to certain features. You can also delete cookies and cache data at any time.

If you wish, you can prevent Google from saving information about your browsing:

• By installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on on your computer (link)
• To change your targeting preferences, visit the Google Manager page to modify your ad preferences (link)
• On a cell phone, browse in Incognito mode (link)

Limiting Collection

Consent

Knowledge and consent are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of Personal Information except where required or permitted by law. Providing us with your Personal Information is always your choice.

However, your decision not to provide certain information may limit our ability to provide you with our products or services. We will not require you to consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of information as a condition to the supply of a product or service, except as required to be able to supply the product or service.

The Personal Information collected will be limited to those details necessary for the purposes identified by us. With your consent, we may collect Personal Information from you in person, over the telephone, or by corresponding with you via mail, facsimile, or the Internet.

Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

Information may only be used or disclosed for the purpose for which it was collected, unless you have otherwise consented, or when it is required or permitted by law. Information will only be retained for the period of time required, i.e., one month for cookies and five years for sociological information related to the application for admission.

Safeguarding Information and User Access

Personal Information will be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the information's sensitivity level. We take all reasonable precautions to protect your Personal Information from any loss or unauthorized use, access, or disclosure.

Upon request, you will be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information, and will be given access to it. You may verify the accuracy and completeness of your Personal Information and request that it be amended, if appropriate.

However, in certain circumstances permitted by law, we will not disclose certain information to you. For example, we may not disclose information relating to you if other individuals are referenced or if there are legal, security, or commercial proprietary restrictions.

Application for Admission

To complete the application for admission to a vocational training program on AdmissionFP, the applicant must enter the necessary sociological information.

The purposes for which we collect Personal Information will be identified before or at the time we collect the information. In certain circumstances, the purposes for which information is collected may be clear, and consent may be implied. We collect, use, and disclose Personal Information to provide you with the product or service you have requested and to offer you additional products and services we believe you might be interested in.

Accuracy and Openness

Personal Information will be maintained in as accurate, complete, and up-to-date form as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is to be used.

We will make information available to you about our policies and practices with respect to the management of your Personal Information.

Access Request and Questions on our Privacy Policy

You may submit a request for access to the Personal Information held by Compétences Québec. You can also ask to have this information corrected.

You can make the request by contacting the person responsible for the protection of Personal Information at the following email address:

Cookies

A cookie is a small computer file or piece of information that may be stored in your computer's hard drive when you visit our websites. We may use cookies to improve our website's functionality and, in some cases, to provide visitors with a customized online experience. Cookies are widely used, and most web browsers are initially configured to accept them automatically.

You may change your Internet browser settings to prevent your computer from accepting cookies or to notify you when you receive a cookie so that you may decline its acceptance. However, please note that if you disable cookies, you may not experience optimal performance of our website.

Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other third-party sites not governed by this privacy policy. Although we endeavour to only link to sites with high privacy standards, our privacy policy will no longer apply once you leave our website. Additionally, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by third-party websites. Therefore, we suggest that you examine the privacy statements of those sites to learn how your information may be collected, used, shared, and disclosed.

Register of Incidents

In the event of a confidentiality incident within the meaning of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, Compétences Québec will include it in a register of confidentiality incidents.

Privacy Impact Assessment

Compétences Québec is committed to the ongoing development of the Privacy Impact Assessment and to revising security measures in line with emerging risks. The consistent, integrated application of strategies and measures is monitored by an active measurement control tool.