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Privacy

Last updated: 23 July 2026

This is an interim summary. Our full, legally reviewed policy is being prepared and will replace this page. It describes how the system handles data today; it is not a contract or legal advice.

This page explains how Brightwire collects and uses your personal information when you take part in the From Traits to Trade pilot. Some of what we ask — whether you identify as neurodivergent, and whether you have a diagnosis — is given extra protection by law (Article 9 of the UK GDPR). We only collect it if you explicitly agree, and you can use the platform in full even if you say no. You make those choices before you start, on the consent screen.

Who we are

Brightwire (brightwire.org.uk) is the organisation responsible for your personal information (the “data controller”) for this pilot. Its registered address, the data protection contact, and the ICO registration number will be confirmed here before the pilot begins. The pilot is run in collaboration with participating schools and youth organisations and a university research team.

What the pilot is

Brightwire is a digital, strengths-based assessment for young people aged 14 to 18. You answer a set of questions about how you work, think, and make decisions, and the platform turns your answers into a personal profile of twelve working-style traits, with reflective exercises and resources about self-employment as one possible path. It does not diagnose any condition and does not predict success — it supports self-awareness and career exploration.

What information we collect

General information

  • Account details needed to sign in (an email for your sign-in link, and your school or organisation).
  • Your age (required — it sets up the right version for you) and derived age band (14–16 or 17–18).
  • Your answers to the assessment questions.
  • Optional background questions — gender, whether English is your first language, and whether anyone close to you runs their own business. Each can be skipped.

Special category information (Article 9 UK GDPR) — only with your explicit consent

We also ask, optionally, whether any of a list describes how you think or learn (for example ADHD, autism, dyslexia), and if so whether you have a formal diagnosis, are waiting to be assessed, identify this way yourself, or are not sure. The law classes this as special category data. We only collect and keep it if you give explicit consent, and you can skip it, choose “prefer not to say”, or decline entirely — your profile and everything else works exactly the same either way.

Why we use your information

  • To create your personal trait profile and show it to you with tailored exercises and resources.
  • If you agree, to let your career advisor see your profile so they can help you plan.
  • To evaluate and improve the platform during the pilot, using anonymised and aggregated information from which you cannot be identified.

We do not use your information for advertising, we do not sell it, and we do not use it to make automated decisions about you.

Who can see your information

  • You — your answers and profile are visible to you through the student portal.
  • Your career advisor — only if you consent. If you agree, the named advisor at your school can view your profile to help prepare your plan. If you don't, they cannot see it.
  • Brightwire staff do not access your individual, identifiable answers in the normal running of the platform — only anonymised, aggregated statistics.
  • Schools and organisations see only aggregate, anonymised cohort-level reports — never your individual answers.

We do not share your personal information with any other third parties.

Legal bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR, our legal bases are:

  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — for your account, your assessment answers, and the optional background questions, and for sharing your profile with your advisor.
  • Explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)) — for the optional neurodivergence and diagnosis questions, which are special category data.

Because everything rests on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of anything done before you withdrew.

How your information is stored

Your information is stored securely on infrastructure located in the European Union, with access controlled through separate, role-based portals (student, advisor, admin), each requiring its own sign-in. The hosting provider and the encryption and transfer safeguards are being confirmed and documented here.

How long we keep your information

We will keep your personal information for the duration of the pilot and delete it within a defined period after it ends, unless you ask us to delete it sooner. Anonymised, aggregated data may be kept longer for research and evaluation. The exact retention period is being confirmed with the ethics team.

Your rights and how to withdraw

You have the right to:

  • Withdraw your consent at any time, without giving a reason — we will then delete your personal information.
  • Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you (access).
  • Ask us to correct information that is wrong (rectification).
  • Ask us to delete your information (erasure).
  • Ask us to limit what we do with your information (restriction).
  • Receive your information in a portable format (portability).

To use any of these rights, contact your coordinator or the Brightwire team. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Participants under 16

For participants aged under 16, we ask a parent or carer to give consent alongside the young person's own agreement. The exact process is being confirmed with the ethics team before the pilot. Participants aged 16 and over may consent for themselves.

Questions

If you have any questions about how your information is used, ask your coordinator or the Brightwire team before you take part. Taking part is entirely voluntary, and you can stop at any time without giving a reason and without any consequences for you or your relationship with your school or organisation.