Work experience

This privacy notice will outline how Mears collect and use your personal data and your legal rights. Personal data means any information that can be used to identify you, such as your name, address, or photo ID.

This privacy notice is written for young people and adults interested in work experience. If you are under 18 years old, you may wish to read it with your parent or guardian.

In this Privacy Notice, “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Mears Group PLC, Second Floor, 5220 Valiant Court, Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester, GL3 4FE and its subsidiaries.

Work Experience Process

Work experience at Mears is often aimed at young people in education aged between 14 years and 18 years old, but Mears encourage adults aged 18 and over with an interest in our business and services to submit a request.

Mears are committed to the learning and development of people from all backgrounds so each work experience submission will be considered.

You can apply for work experience by submitting this online application form.

What personal data will Mears collect and how we will use it?

Mears will only process personal data we need to deliver work experience to the applicant. Once you have submitted the online form with your name, age and contact details, Mears will process the information to check if work experience can be provided.

If your application is successful, Mears will request more information to ensure the work experience can be delivered safely. Additional information includes parental or legal guardian contact details, School contact information and Identification documents, where appropriate for safeguarding or emergency purposes.

When completing work experience with Mears, we may ask you to complete anonymous surveys and your anonymous data may form part of a case studies to help us improve and share success stories.  With your permission, photos may also be taken to support these case studies. If you’re under 18 years old, we will ask for your parent or guardian's permission before we use it.

Special Category data

We may collect heath Information as part of any reasonable adjustments or duty of care requirements. For example, any disabilities Mears may need to gather further information to review if they can make any reasonable adjustments to a placement for you.

Safeguarding checks

If your application is successful and Mears can provide work experience, we may ask you, your parent / legal guardian and a school representative to sign a risk assessment form. Mears employees providing work experience may also ask for proof of identification. This is to make sure everyone is kept safe during the work experience.

Who looks after your data?

Mears is the data controller of your personal data. A data controller is in charge of the personal data collected about you. Mears has appointed a Data Protection Officer; this person makes sure we follow data protection law when we use your personal data.

If you want to ask any questions about the personal data Mears collects, please email our Data Protection Officer at data.protection@mearsgroup.co.uk.   

Lawful basis for processing your personal data

Under data protection law, Mears needs a ‘lawful basis’ when we collect and use your personal data. The lawful basis we use to process your personal data if you have given us your “consent” when submitting your application for work experience.

We also have a “legitimate interest” to collect personal information as part of our safeguarding processes and delivering work experience. Mears also rely on “legitimate interest” when collecting parent/guardian’s and school representative personal data.

Will your personal data be shared?

If you are in education, Mears may need to contact your school representative during safeguarding checks and to check they are happy for you to participate in the work experience once the application is successful.

We will share your name as well as your parent or guardian’s name with the school. Your school may share personal data about you with Mears in relation to taking part in work experience.

If we have to share your information with other people, we will only share where it is necessary for to provide work experience, or when the law says that we can. When your personal data is shared with someone to process on our behalf, they have to keep it secure and only use it in the way that Mears tells them they can use it.    

How long will we keep your personal data?  

Mears will keep your information for as long as we need it to provide work experience to you and to follow the law.

What are your rights?

You have the right under data protection law to:    

• Be told how we use your personal data.
• Ask to see the personal data we hold.
• Ask us to change personal data you think is wrong.
• Ask us to remove personal data when it is not needed anymore.
• Ask us to only use your personal data in certain ways.
• Tell us you don't want your personal data to be processed.
• Right to complain about how your personal data is being processed.

More Information

For more information, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at data.protection@mearsgroup.co.uk

If you have questions or want to find out more about your rights, please see the Mears Group Privacy Policy.

Updating this privacy notice

We will update this privacy notice if there are big changes to how we use your personal data.