Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions Clarified

The Certification Convergence and Skill Development Council (CCSD) is fully devoted to safeguarding and upholding your data and privacy. Our objective is to inform you that we gather and congregate your details when you engage with our website, join as a member, or express interest in participating in our accredited training program of our registered training providers or apply towards designated certification or events namely, think-tanks, webinars, seminars, conferences, and conclaves. Our purpose in articulating this policy is to outline the instances of information collection, the reasons behind requesting it, the manner of its utilization, the circumstances in which it may be shared, and our commitment to ensuring its security to the utmost possible means as the CCSD Council can execute and maintain.

CCSD Council reserves the right to make changes and revisions to this policy periodically. In our effort to uphold our commitment to transparency as well as maintain the confidentiality of your information, the CCSD Council’s data administrative division will periodically remind you to visit this page and reconfirm your agreement. Additionally, please review and update your details if required to ensure that you are informed of any modifications and are in alignment with your preferences. Your consent to abide by this policy is implied when you select the checkbox during the registration process and each time you interact with the CCSD Council’s website.

About CCSD Council

Please refer to “About Us”, “CCSD Vision Statement”, “CCSD Mission Statement”, “CCSD Objectives”, “What We Do”, and “How We Do What We Do” on the dropdown columns in our CCSD Website page: https://www.ccsdcouncil.org/ These documents will provide a comprehensive clarification of the CCSD Council.

How do we gather data/information from you?

We acquire information concerning you through various means, such as when you click into and interact with our website, get in touch with us regarding our offerings, submit an application for CCSD membership, subscribe to newsletters or updates, sign up for any of our accredited training programs, seek certification under the CPCE points accumulation certification, express your interest in workshops or training courses, or sign up as a participant, sponsor, or collaborator for events including webinars, panel group discussions, zoom meet-ups, think tanks, seminars, conclaves, congresses, colloquiums, symposiums, convergent roundtables, conferences or conventions.

What sorts of data/information do we gather?

When you access our website as a visitor wanting to browse the website and your status as a non-CCSD Council registered user, without logging in, we gather typical website analytics information, encompassing your IP address and the web pages you’ve browsed. This enables us to assess and enhance the overall quality of our website. 

A. When you make an application at the CCSD website seeking membership with the CCSD Council, we will request the submission of the following information as stated below:

• Your Full Name
• Your Email Address
• Your Gender (Please select)
• Your Age Bracket (Please select)
• Your Nationality (Please select)
• Your Current Occupation
• Physical Address (Street, City, Country, Postal Code)
• Contact Phone Number

B. If you are applying for a CCSD-accredited certified training program through our authorized Training Provider(s), we require additional details to streamline the process of granting Continuous Professional Enhancement Points (CPCE). These details are crucial as they enable us to accumulate your CPCE points and systematically communicate your journey towards achieving Professional Certification, which includes stages such as Certified Specialist, Expert, Professional, Consultant, and Eminence. (Please refer to the section on CCSD Council CPCE Points and CCSD Council Professional Certification for more information on this progression and the certification process.) To assist in this data collection, you will be asked to provide the following information:

• The training course/program in which you are enrolled.
• Your academic qualifications, such as diplomas, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees.
• Certifications received from training within the last five years.
• Professional career experience, spanning from the initiation of your career to the present.
• Any other qualifications and skill enhancement programs you have participated in.
• Relevant training courses you have previously completed.
• Your affiliations with professional organizations and fraternities.
• Languages you are proficient in, encompassing reading, writing, and speaking, along with your fluency level.
• Awards and publications, if applicable.
• Any supplementary information pertinent to your registration for the training program.

C. If you apply to attend any of the CCSD Council events (webinars, panel group discussions, zoom meet-ups, think tanks, seminars, conclaves, congresses, colloquiums, symposiums, convergent roundtables, conferences or conventions), as a participant, sponsor, collaborator or partner and you and your organization is not a member of the CCSD Council, we would ask and require the following information. However, our communications and membership affairs administrative team would invite and encourage you to join the CCSD Council as the benefits and discounts are of great value in terms of membership privilege. As a member of the CCSD Council, you will be open to all circulations of information, newsletters, and articles from the CCSD Council as well as pathways to professional certification. You would also be given first preference as a member to events before it is open to the public. The information/data requested will be:

• Name of the event you are attending
• Your Full Name
• Your Email Address
• Your Gender (Please select)
• Your Age Bracket (Please select)
• Your Nationality (Please select)
• Your Current Occupation
• The current organization you are working for
• Physical Address (Street, City, Country, Postal Code)
• Contact Phone Number
• Are you using membership entitlement? (If Yes, please insert the CCSD Member Entitlement Discount code you are using).

D.How is your information utilized?
Your information may be employed for various purposes, such as:

• Processing and handling your application to join the CCSD Council as a member, apply for the CCSD Council-accredited training courses, attend events, and similar communication and transactions with the CCSD Council.
• During fulfilling our contractual obligations that may arise from agreements we have with you.
• During soliciting, seeking, or requesting your opinions or feedback on the services we deliver, possibly through the dispatch of questionnaires or polls to the email address you’ve furnished to the CCSD Council.
• Informing you about modifications to our services and requesting your attention to periodically update your personal information by the data compliance prompts and alerts we provide you.
• Transmitting communications that you’ve either explicitly requested or that could attract your attention and interest. This content may encompass but is not restricted to, details about our membership programs, accredited trainings, professional certifications, events, publications, news items, and other CCSD-related information.
• Processing CCSD Council Membership Discount Entitlement, contingent on your consent.
• Providing your information to third parties who request data regarding your CCSD certification or status, before which we would have obtained your email consent.
• Periodically examining and updating our membership database.
• Keeping you abreast of CCSD Council’s most recent updates and forthcoming events.

Hard Copy Certificate Delivery by CCSD Council

We diligently gather your precise personal information, including your name, address, email, and phone number, for communication, primarily to facilitate the mailing of hard copy certificates that you have requested and for which you have made the requisite payments.

We also request information about your nationality and the country where you currently reside, as CCSD has categorized countries into various regions, each with its unique discounts and membership-related fees. CCSD Council collects data regarding age and gender to analyse the demographics of individuals enrolling or becoming members of the organization. This data facilitates the CCSD Council in assessing the alignment of its actions with its vision, mission, objectives, goals, and strategies, following its global initiatives across different countries. Additionally, it enables the CCSD Council to gain insight into gender and diversity policies that may be in place, thus ensuring the CCSD Council’s compliance standards in these regions or countries.

Once the CCSD Council receives the information related to your training certification, we can monitor your progress and direct you toward other CCSD Council-certified training programs. Additionally, we can offer guidance for obtaining the CCSD professional certification. We will reach out to you with information and opportunities regarding these possibilities as soon as you have completed any of the certified training programs and your certification with the CCSD Council is confirmed. This will enable you to explore and discover other certification programs and professional certifications that can enhance your professional growth and advance your career.

CCSD Council documents significant dates corresponding to application receipt, membership processing, accreditation approval,  certification awarded, and information on participants who attend our event. To ensure consistency in data input, we employ forms with drop-down selection menus to prevent unstructured text entries.

We consistently provide reports to the management, directors, and board of the CCSD Council regarding the progress, developments, strategic alignment, and initiatives being achieved. Therefore, it is crucial for us to maintain precise and suitable data and metrics.

CCSD Council Events

Such events of the CCSD Council encompass a variety of gatherings, including webinars, panel discussions, Zoom meet-ups, think tanks, seminars, conclaves, congresses, colloquiums, symposiums, convergent roundtables, conferences, and conventions.

Prospective participants in CCSD Council events, can include both CCSD Council members and non-members. Some of these events are exclusive, invitation-only affairs that may feature influential government officials and high-ranking corporate executives who prefer to keep their attendance discreet. The criteria for gaining access to these exclusive CCSD Council events come with unique terms and conditions, necessitating specific personal information to facilitate invitations for applicants.

Occasionally, CCSD Council events receive support from government bodies, sponsors, partners, and individuals who request essential contact details (such as name, email address, job title, and organization) during the registration process. They may use this information for internal sales and marketing purposes and may contact you accordingly. We will notify you of such information requirements during the registration process when extending an invitation to participate in these events. You have the choice to attend to such events which require such sharing of information.

Choice of Receiving Information from the CCSD Council

You have the liberty to decide the extent of information you wish to receive from the CCSD Council. It’s entirely your decision whether you would like to be in the loop regarding our significant exclusive initiatives and services for CCSD Council members. If you prefer not to be on the receiving end of our messages regarding these matters, you can conveniently mark the appropriate checkboxes on the online forms we provide to request your authorization.

Rest assured, we will not reach out to you for promotional reasons through email, phone, or text messages unless you have granted your prior approval. Similarly, we will abstain from sending marketing materials via postal mail if you’ve expressed your desire not to receive them. You retain the option to modify your marketing preferences at any point by reaching out to us through email at [email protected].

CCSD Council Personalization of Membership Communication

We might examine your personal data to construct a profile outlining your likes and preferences. This allows us to reach out to you with content that aligns with your specific interests.

Hyperlinks to External Websites

The CCSD Council website might feature hyperlinks connecting to websites managed by different entities. This privacy policy herein exclusively pertains to the CCSD Council website. Hence, the CCSD Council urges you to peruse the privacy declarations of the alternate websites you explore. It’s important to note that we cannot assume responsibility for the privacy regulations and methods of other platforms, even if you reach them through links on CCSD Council website.

Moreover, if you arrived at the CCSD Council website from a third-party source, we are unable to take responsibility for the privacy protocols and conduct of the proprietors and administrators of said third-party source. We advise that you scrutinize the policy of that third-party source.

Cookies Usage and Preferences

Similar to many other websites, the CCSD Council website employs cookies. These are tiny fragments of data transmitted by an organization to your computer and stored on your hard drive. Their purpose is to enable the website to recognize you during your visits. Cookies gather statistical information about your browsing trends and patterns, but they do not identify you as an individual.

For instance, we utilize cookies to save your country and regional choice. This practice assists us in enhancing our website and providing a more improved, personalized service. You have the option to deactivate cookies by adjusting your browser settings. For detailed instructions on how to do this on your computer, please refer to our Cookies Policy. It’s important to note that disabling cookies may lead to reduced functionality while using the CCSD Council website.”

Minimum Age for CCSD Council Membership and Participation

Individuals under the age of 18 are not eligible to become a member of CCSD or participate in any training or events of the CCSD Council.

Safeguarding Information held by the CCSD Council

The CCSD Council has implemented security measures to safeguard your information against loss, misuse, or unauthorized alteration. When you provide the CCSD Council with your personal information, we take steps to ensure its secure handling. Non-sensitive details, such as your email address, are typically transmitted over the Internet, and while the CCSD Council makes every effort to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee 100% security for data transmitted to the CCSD Council from your side of the internet transmission. Therefore, any information you transmit to the CCSD Council is done at your own risk.

Upon receiving your information, the CCSD Council diligently works to maintain its security within our systems. If you have been provided a password or have chosen one to access specific sections of the CCSD Council website, it is your responsibility to keep this password confidential. We kindly request that you refrain from sharing your password with anyone at any time.

Managing Your Information

We highly value the correctness of your data. In the event that your email, residential address, phone number, or any other details undergo alterations, we kindly ask you to take the following steps to keep your information up to date. You can either log in to the members’ area on the CCSD website or reach out to us via email at [email protected]. You may also send written correspondence to our physical address. Your prompt attention to maintaining your information is greatly appreciated.

Servers Situated Outside Prague and beyond the borders of the European Union

There may be instances where our servers are situated in a country that is not within the EU. These nations may not possess data protection regulations comparable to those of the EU. When you submit your personal information, you consent to its potential transfer, storage, or processing. Should you utilize our services while residing outside the EU, your data may be relocated beyond the EU to facilitate the provision of said services.

Partners and Collaborators (The CCSD Council’s Third Party)

The CCSD Council collaborates with a network of third-party entities and individuals to enhance our services and accomplish various tasks on your behalf. This may involve sharing your information with our third-party service providers, agents, subcontractors, and affiliated organizations. For instance, our website is hosted by a third-party contractor, and our IT systems are managed within a datacentre in Prague, Czech Republic.

We maintain agreements with these third-party service providers, stipulating the importance of safeguarding personal information and refraining from utilizing it for their direct marketing efforts. However, there are circumstances in which we may be obligated to disclose personal information as required by law, regulation, court orders, or for crime prevention purposes, such as scam investigation, fraud detection or sanctions enforcement. We may also transfer personal information when obligated by legal duties, to enforce our terms of use, or to safeguard the rights, property, or safety of our supporters and customers.

When you make secure online payments through our platform, a specialized third-party payment processor handles the transaction securely, especially in the case of credit or debit card payments. For inquiries about secure transactions, please feel free to reach out to us. Rest assured, sensitive data like credit or debit card information is encrypted and protected with SSL encryption (look for the lock icon at the bottom or top of your web browser while on a secure page).

We collaborate closely with a diverse set of accredited third-party training providers to offer you a wide range of high-quality and reliable products and services. When you inquire about or purchase these products, the respective third-party product provider will use your information to furnish you with information and fulfill any contractual obligations you’ve established with them. In certain cases, these providers may serve as data controllers for your information. We strongly recommend reviewing their Privacy policy carefully. Additionally, these third-party product providers may also share your information with us, which we will handle in compliance with this Privacy policy mentioned herein.

Who else can view or access your data?

The CCSD Council does not engage in the sale, rental, or distribution of your information to external parties, and we do not disclose your data to third parties for any purposes without your explicit consent. You retain the right to request a copy of the information that CCSD holds about you at any time.

The duration your personal data is maintained by the CCSD Council?

The CCSD Council has a legal obligation to retain certain categories of information to meet its statutory responsibilities in Prague, Czech Republic. Your personal data will be retained in the CCSD Council systems for the duration required for the specific purpose as stipulated in any relevant agreement between the CCSD Council and the relevant authorities. The CCSD Council regularly assesses the retention periods for personal data and removes information that is no longer relevant.

CCSD Council Personal Data Protection Policy Review:

The CCSD Council regularly evaluates this policy. The following has been sent to current members and will be sent to new members of the CCSD Council;

Email Communication Consent:

• Yes, I consent to the CCSD council contacting me via email regarding accredited training programs, professional certification, services, events, and offers that may be of interest to me.

Data Sharing Acknowledgment:

• Yes, I acknowledge that CCSD may share my personal information with selected analytics and search engine providers to enhance and optimize the website.

Terms and Conditions and Cookies Policy Acceptance:

• Yes, I comprehend and accept the Terms and Conditions and the Cookies Policy, granting permission for my information to be utilized in accordance with the terms outlined in these documents.

Adherence to Code of Conduct:

• Yes, I commit to abiding by the CCSD Council Code of Conduct

The last review and update of this policy was done in Sept 2022.