Workforce Development Services

Amber Education Services

We have delivered service in the work force development industry since 1991.

A Little About Us

Who We Are

Tofino
Our Belief

About Us

Amber Education Services Ltd was founded on the belief that assisting individuals to take charge of their economic lives by being proactive in their career paths, be it employment, self-employment or attachment to the community, produces the best long term outcomes.

We work in an environment of compassionate professionalism seeking a match between a person’s re-employment needs and available programs and services.

Since 1994

About the Owners

Co-owned by Wade and Karen Simmons, Amber Education Services Ltd. opened in 1994 and was successful in securing its first contract. Drawing from our banking careers, we began with an original vision of offering business plan instruction and entrepreneurship development. From 2003 through to today, we have been contracted to assess and adjudicate applications for training funding.

We hold numerous contracts throughout Vancouver Island and have evolved with the opportunities, yet all of our initiatives have been focused on workforce development, driven by effectiveness, financial accountability and the wisdom that comes with experience.

Resources room
Parksville
Time and Commitment

Accomplishing Goals

Over the years, Amber Education Services Ltd. has taken an active role by offering time and commitment to numerous enterprises including Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development agencies and local philanthropic foundations. Better than our own experience, we have had the good fortune to retain key staff, who for many years, have improved and enhanced our service delivery.

If a company is only as good as its customer service then we have full faith in knowing that you will find our group to be experts in navigating policy and process so that clients can accomplish their goals, thrive and succeed.

Our Services

Campbell River

Entrepreneurship Program

Amber Education Services Ltd. offers workshops, coaching, mentoring and business planning services. We are contracted to provide a comprehensive program for eligible participants in Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni, Ucluelet, Tofino and Campbell River.

Our delivery has been developed over almost 30 years of service in this area and combines a step by step technical process along with management skills in a supportive, possibly humorous, live, online environment.

Self Employment as a Career

Training Funding Administration

Our professional staff have many years of experience adjudicating, decisioning and monitoring participants who apply for skills development funding. We have developed a compassionate, yet policy driven approach that strives to maximize program participation while maintaining policy adherence.

Campbell River
Questions or Comments?

Get in Touch

To discuss our services, we’d be happy to schedule a meeting. Please feel free to reach Wade Simmons using this form, or 250-246-0580 or toll-free at 1-855-246-0580.

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    Data Protection

    Privacy Policy

    Context and overview

    • Policy prepared by: Amber Education Services Ltd.
    • Policy became operational on: June 22nd, 2018

    Introduction

    Amber Education Services Ltd. needs to gather and use certain information about individuals. These can include businesses, suppliers, employees and other people whom the organization has a relationship with or may need to contact.

    This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards — and to comply with the law.

    Why this policy exists

    This data protection policy ensures Amber Education Services Ltd.:

    • Complies with data protection law and follow good practice;
    • Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners;
    • Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data; and
    • Protects itself from the risks of a data breach.

    Data protection law

    The Data Protection Act 1998 describes how organizations—including Amber Education Services Ltd.—must collect, handle and store personal information. These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.

    To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully. The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:

    • Be processed fairly and lawfully;
    • Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes;
    • Be adequate, relevant and not excessive;
    • Be accurate and kept up to date;
    • Not be held for any longer than necessary;
    • Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects;
    • Be protected in appropriate ways; and
    • Not be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), unless that country or territory also ensures an adequate
    • level of protection.

    People, risks and responsibilities

    This policy applies to:

    • The head office of Amber Education Services Ltd.;
    • All branches of Amber Education Ltd.;
    • All staff and employees of Amber Education Services Ltd.; and
    • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of Amber Education Services Ltd.

    It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the Data Protection Act 1998. This can include:

    • Names of individuals;
    • Postal addresses;
    • Email addresses;
    • Telephone numbers;
    • …plus any other information relating to individuals

    Data protection risks

    This policy helps to protect Amber Education Services Ltd. from some very real data security risks, including:

    • Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately;
    • Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them; and
    • Reputational damage. For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.

    Responsibilities

    Everyone who works for or with Amber Education Services Ltd. has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately. Each team that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles.

    However, these people have key areas of responsibility:

    The board of directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Amber Education Services Ltd. meets its legal obligations.

    The Data Protection Officer is responsible for:

    • Keeping the board updated about data protection responsibilities, risks and issues.
    • Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule.
    • Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy.
    • Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy.
    • Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Amber Education Services Ltd. holds about them (also called ‘subject access requests’).
    • Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data.

    The IT Manager is responsible for:

    • Ensuring all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards.
    • Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly.
    • Evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services.

    The Marketing Manager is responsible for:

    • Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters.
    • Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers.
    • Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.

    General staff guidelines

    • The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.
    • Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request it from their line managers.
    • Amber Education Services Ltd. will provide training to all employees to help them understand their responsibilities when handling data.
      Employees should keep all data secure, by taking sensible precautions and following the guidelines below.
    • In particular, strong passwords must be used and they should never be shared.
    • Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorized people, either within the company or externally.
    • Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of.
    • Employees should request help from their line manager or the data protection officer if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection.

    Data storage

    These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT Manager or Data Controller. When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorized people cannot see it. These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:

    • When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet.
    • Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorized people could see them, like on a printer.
    • Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required.

    When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorized access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:

    • Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees.
      If data is stored on removable media (like a CD or DVD), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used.
    • Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services.
    • Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space.
    • Data should be backed up frequently. Those backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard backup procedures.
    • Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smart phones.
      All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall.

    Data use

    Personal data is of no value to Amber Education Services Ltd. unless the organization can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:

    • When working with personal data, employees should ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended.
    • Personal data should not be shared informally or with individuals for their own use outside of the current email distribution service.
    • Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically. For those who reside within the European Union, personal data should never be transferred outside of the European Economic Area.
    • Employees should not save copies of personal data to their own computers. Always access and update the central copy of any data.

    Data accuracy

    The law requires Amber Education Services Ltd. take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up to date. The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Amber Education Services Ltd. should put into ensuring its accuracy. It is the responsibility of all employees who work with data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up to date as possible.

    • Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Staff should not create any unnecessary additional data sets.
    • Employees should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a person’s details when they call.
    • Amber Education Services Ltd. will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Amber Education Ltd. holds about them.
    • Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered.

    Subject access requests

    All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Amber Education Services Ltd. are entitled to:

    • Ask what information the organization holds about them and why.
    • Ask how to gain access to it.
    • Be informed how to keep it up to date.
    • Be informed how the organization is meeting its data protection obligations.

    If an individual contacts the organization requesting this information, this is called a subject access request. Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to the data controller at info@ambered.com. The data controller can supply a standard request form, although individuals do not have to use this. Individuals will be charged $10 per subject access request. The data controller will aim to provide the relevant data within 14 days. The data controller will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.

    Disclosing data for other reasons

    In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject. Under these circumstances, Amber Education Services Ltd. will disclose requested data. However, the data controller will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company’s legal advisers where necessary.

    Providing information

    Amber Education Services Ltd. aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed, and that they understand:

    • How the data is being used
    • How to exercise their rights

    To these ends, the organization has created this privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used by the organization.