Research to explore lived experiences of PGCE (FE) students and lecturers Privacy Notice
Background
Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research in Wales, has asked OB3 Research to undertake independent research into the lived experiences of PGCE (FE) students and lecturers in Wales. The research will help inform future decisions about PGCE (FE) provision, early career support for newly recruited and newly qualified FE lecturers, and the role and design of financial incentives.
This privacy notice explains how your personal information will be used if you take part in a stakeholder interview. Any findings from the research may be included in reports or other outputs for Medr, but your name and contact details will not be published. Comments will not be attributed to named individuals without your explicit agreement.
Taking part is completely your choice, but your views and experiences are very important and will help inform Medr’s work on PGCE (FE), incentives and early career support in the FE sector.
What data is collected and how is it used?
Personal data means any information that could be used to identify a person, either directly or indirectly.
On behalf of Medr, OB3 Research is carrying out interviews and focus groups to understand the current PGCE (FE) landscape, early career support arrangements, financial incentives, Welsh-medium and bilingual provision, available evidence and data, and practical considerations for the wider research.
The research will mainly focus on people’s experiences and opinions. It will involve all Further Education Institutions (FEIs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Wales who are involved in PGCE (FE) delivery.
During this research, people may be asked to share their views, experiences, and opinions. Any personal details will be kept to a minimum and handled safely, following data protection rules. OB3 Research is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and follows strict guidelines to keep information secure.
During this research, OB3 Research may collect and analyse the following categories of personal data:
· Contact details (name, email, address, phone number)
· Demographic details (gender, age)
· Education and training details (course, qualification level)
· Programme related information (your opinions, experiences and views relating to your learner experience)
All information will be used only for research purposes and handled carefully and respectfully.
Interviewees will not be asked to provide special category personal data such as racial or ethnic origin, health information, religious beliefs, political opinions or trade union membership as personal information about themselves. If any such information is volunteered during an interview, OB3 Research will only use it where it is relevant to the research, will minimise it where possible, and will protect it carefully in line with UK GDPR requirements.
Data you provide will only be used for research purposes: to manage participation, analyse findings, and produce a report to be published by Medr. Your data will never be used for marketing or automated decisions. Reports will be anonymised and checked to remove any risk of identifying individuals. Survey data is collected via Snap survey software, a secure platform that meets international security standards (SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001).
OB3 Research will not share your personal data with Medr.
What is the lawful basis for collecting this data?
The primary lawful basis for processing information provided during the research is Medr’s ‘public task’, as set out under Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR, whereby processing personal data is ‘necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.’ This lawful basis is further supported by Medr's statutory functions under the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 in relation to the planning, funding, improvement and coordination of tertiary education in Wales. The information collected will be used to help inform future decisions regarding PGCE (FE) provision, early career support for newly recruited and newly qualified FE lecturers, and the role and design of financial incentives.
In addition, the research also relies on the lawful basis of ‘consent’, as set out under Articles 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR, in accordance with which, participation in the research is entirely voluntary. This means that there is no requirement for you to participate, and you can choose to withdraw from the research at any time. If you do not wish to take part in the research or be sent reminders, then please reply to the invitation email expressing your wish, and OB3 Research will remove your details from the research records.
How secure is your personal data?
OB3 Research stores your data on cloud servers based in the UK and uses encryption and restricted access. OB3 Research holds Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
How long is your personal data kept for?
OB3 Research will keep your data during the contract period. After that, it will be securely deleted, and Medr will receive confirmation of deletion.
Individual rights
Under data protection legislation, you have rights over your data. You can:
· Ask for a copy of your data;
· Ask for mistakes to be corrected;
· Ask for data use to stop or be limited (in some cases);
· Ask for data to be deleted (in some cases);
There are some limitations in some cases which depend on your request and on the purpose of the processing. Medr welcome any queries in relation to your rights. Further information about your rights is available on the ICO website.
To exercise your rights, please get in touch with Medr’s Data Protection Officer using the contact details below.
Complaints about the use of your personal data
Medr is fully committed to the processing of your personal information in line with data protection legislation but do welcome any queries relating to the processing of your data and will listen to any concerns you may have.
If you are unhappy with the way in which your personal information has been handled, please contact dataprotectionofficer@medr.cymru or complete the online complaints form and Medr will try to resolve your issue informally.
If Medr is unable to resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you can also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who are the UK’s data protection regulator.
The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are:
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.gov.uk
The contact email for Medr as Data Controller is dataprotectionofficer@Medr.cymru
The contact email for OB3 Research as Data Processor is heledd.bebb@ob3research.co.uk
Medr’s data protection registration reference is ZB552558.
This privacy notice was last updated on 08/07/26.