Privacy Policy
Virginia Trade School
Last Updated September 21, 2026
Virginia Trade School (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information of all individuals who visit and interact with our website located at www.virginiatradeschool.edu (the “Website”). This Privacy Policy explains what categories of information we collect, the purposes for which that information is used, under what circumstances it may be disclosed to third parties, and the rights and choices available to you with respect to your personal information. By accessing or using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy, please discontinue use of the Website immediately.
This Policy applies solely to information collected through our Website and does not govern information collected through offline channels, in-person enrollment processes, or any other means unless specifically stated herein. Virginia Trade School is an educational institution located in the Commonwealth of Virginia and operates in compliance with applicable federal and state privacy laws and regulations.
1. Information We Collect
We collect personal information through various means when you interact with our Website. The categories of personal information we collect are described below.
1. 1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you complete online forms, submit inquiries, create an account, or otherwise communicate with us. This information may include, but is not limited to:
- Full legal name;
- Email address;
- Telephone number and mobile number;
- Mailing address and physical address;
- Date of birth;
- Program of interest and enrollment inquiry details;
- Application data, including educational background, employment history, and supporting documentation submitted as part of an admissions application;
- Payment and billing information, including credit or debit card numbers, banking details, and billing address, as applicable; and
- Any other information you choose to submit through correspondence, online forms, surveys, or direct communications with our staff.
You are not required to provide all categories of information listed above. However, failure to provide certain information may limit our ability to respond to your inquiry, process your application, or deliver requested services.
1. 2 Information Collected Automatically
When you access or use the Website, certain information is collected automatically by our servers and third-party analytics services. This automatically collected information may include:
● Internet Protocol (IP) address;
● Browser type, version, and language settings;
● Operating system and device type;
● Referring URLs and exit pages;
● Pages visited and content viewed on the Website;
● Date and time of each visit;
● Duration of visit and session activity;
● Clickstream data and navigation paths; and
● Other usage and interaction data collected through cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar tracking technologies, as further described in Section 3 of this Policy.
Automatically collected information is generally non-identifying in isolation; however, it may be combined with other information we hold about you, in which case we will treat the combined data as personal information in accordance with this Policy.
2. How We Use Your Information
Virginia Trade School uses the personal information we collect for legitimate educational, operational, and administrative purposes. Specifically, we use your information to:
- Respond to your inquiries and provide requested information about our programs, courses, tuition, schedules, and related services;
- Process enrollment applications, registrations, and related administrative procedures;
- Communicate with you regarding your application status, enrollment, course schedules, important institutional notices, and updates to this Policy;
- Send newsletters, promotional materials, and information about upcoming programs or events, where you have provided consent or where permitted by applicable law, subject to your right to opt out at any time;
- Improve the functionality, design, and overall user experience of the Website;
- Conduct internal analytics, generate institutional reports, and inform strategic planning and program development;
- Process payments and manage financial transactions in connection with enrollment and fees;
- Comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and legal obligations;
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and other security incidents; and
- Enforce our terms of use, institutional policies, and other applicable agreements.
We will not use your personal information for purposes materially different from those described above without first providing you with notice and, where required by law, obtaining your consent.
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Virginia Trade School and our authorized third-party service providers use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, session identifiers, and similar tracking technologies to operate the Website, understand how visitors use the Website, and deliver relevant content. These technologies collect data that is transmitted to and stored on our servers or the servers of our service providers.
The types of cookies and tracking technologies we use are described below:
3.1 Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the Website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as page navigation, secure areas, and session management. The Website cannot operate without these cookies, and they cannot be disabled within our systems.
3.2 Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies allow us to understand how visitors interact with the Website by collecting and reporting information in an aggregated, anonymous form. We may use services such as Google Analytics or similar platforms to collect data including pages visited, time spent on the Website, and traffic sources. This information helps us improve the structure and content of the Website. For information about how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please refer to Google’s privacy documentation.
3.3 Marketing and Preference Cookies
Marketing and preference cookies are used to remember your settings and preferences on the Website (such as language or region), and to deliver content and promotional materials that are relevant to your interests. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party advertising and content delivery partners.
Your Cookie Choices: You may configure your cookie preferences using the CookieYes tool in bottom-left corner of the web site.
You may configure your web browser settings to refuse all or certain types of cookies, or to receive an alert when cookies are being set. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality and performance of the Website, and some features may not be available. Refer to your browser’s help documentation for instructions on managing cookie settings. Opting out of analytics cookies will not affect the use of essential cookies.
4. Data Sharing and Disclosure
Virginia Trade School does not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own commercial purposes. We may, however, share your information in the following limited circumstances:
4.1 Third-Party Service Providers
We may share personal information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Website and delivering our services. These providers may include web hosting companies, payment processors, email and communications platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) vendors, and analytics providers. All such service providers are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality of your information and to use it solely for the purposes of providing services to Virginia Trade School.
4.2 Legal and Regulatory Requirements
We may disclose personal information to government authorities, law enforcement agencies, or regulatory bodies when required to do so by applicable law, valid legal process, court order, subpoena, or government regulation. We may also disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights, enforce institutional policies, or protect the safety of any person.
4.3 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or other transfer of all or a portion of Virginia Trade School’s operations, personal information held by us may be among the assets transferred to the successor entity. We will provide notice to affected users via the Website or by email prior to any such transfer, to the extent practicable, and the successor entity will be required to honor the terms of this Privacy Policy or provide users with notice of any material changes.
4.4 With Your Consent
We may share your personal information with other parties for purposes not described in this Policy where you have provided explicit prior consent. You may withdraw such consent at any time by contacting us as described in Section 11.
5.Data Retention
Virginia Trade School retains personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. The duration of retention varies depending on the nature of the information and the context in which it was collected.
The following general retention guidelines apply:
Record Type | General Retention Period | Basis for Retention |
General website inquiries and contact form submissions | Up to 2 years from date of last contact | Operational and service delivery purposes |
Incomplete or withdrawn enrollment applications | Up to 3 years from date of submission | Institutional record-keeping and reapplication consideration |
Enrolled student records | Duration of enrollment plus a minimum of 7 years post-graduation or withdrawal | Legal obligation, accreditation requirements, and academic record integrity |
Financial and payment records | Minimum of 7 years | Tax law, financial regulation, and audit requirements |
Marketing communications preferences | Until opt-out is received or account is deleted | Consent management |
When personal information is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected and no legal obligation requires its continued retention, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymize such information in accordance with our internal data management procedures.
6. Security Practices
Virginia Trade School takes the security of your personal information seriously. We maintain reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, misuse, and destruction. These measures include, but are not limited to:
● Use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption for data transmitted through the Website;
● Access controls restricting the handling of personal information to authorized personnel with a legitimate need to know;
● Regular review of our information collection, storage, and processing practices;
● Contractual requirements imposed on third-party service providers to maintain appropriate security standards; and
● Employee training on data privacy and information security responsibilities.
Important Notice: No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law. |
If you have reason to believe that your personal information has been compromised or that there has been unauthorized access to your data in connection with our Website, please notify us immediately using the contact information provided in Section 11.
7. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law, you may have the following rights with respect to the personal information Virginia Trade School holds about you:
- Right of Access: You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and, if so, request access to a copy of the information we hold about you.
- Right to Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information we hold about you.
- Right to Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records and our legitimate interests in maintaining institutional records.
- Right to Opt Out of Marketing Communications: You may opt out of receiving promotional emails or newsletters from us at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing email or by contacting us directly. Please note that even after opting out of marketing communications, you may continue to receive transactional or administrative communications related to your enrollment or application.
- Right to Data Portability: Where technically feasible and to the extent required by applicable law, you may request that we provide your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where our processing of your personal information is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing conducted prior to withdrawal.
To exercise any of the rights described above, please submit a written request to us using the contact information provided in Section 11 of this Policy. We will respond to your request within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt. In certain circumstances, we may require additional information to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. We reserve the right to deny requests that are unfounded, excessive, or repetitive, or that conflict with our legal obligations.
8. Children's Privacy
The Website is not directed to, and is not intended for use by, children under the age of thirteen (13). Virginia Trade School does not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Our programs and services are designed for adult learners and prospective students who are of legal age to enter into a binding agreement.
If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under the age of 13 without appropriate parental consent, we will take prompt steps to delete such information from our records. If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to us through the Website, please contact us immediately using the contact information provided in Section 11 so that we may take appropriate action.
9. Third-Party Links
The Website may contain hyperlinks to external websites, online resources, or digital content that are owned and operated by third parties, including but not limited to government agencies, professional associations, partner organizations, and social media platforms. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes only.
Virginia Trade School does not control, endorse, or assume any responsibility for the content, privacy practices, security standards, or data handling procedures of any third-party website or resource. The inclusion of a link on our Website does not constitute an endorsement of the linked site or its operators. When you navigate away from our Website and access a third-party site, you do so at your own risk, and any information you provide to that third party is governed by that party’s own privacy policy.
We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy and terms of use of any third-party website you visit before providing any personal information. Virginia Trade School shall not be liable for the privacy practices or content of any third-party websites linked to or from our Website.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
Virginia Trade School reserves the right to update, revise, or modify this Privacy Policy at any time in response to changes in applicable law, institutional practices, Website functionality, or other relevant factors. Any changes to this Policy will become effective upon posting of the revised Policy to this page, accompanied by an updated “Effective Date” at the top of the document.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. In the event of material changes that significantly affect your rights or the way we handle your personal information, we will endeavor to provide additional notice through a prominent notice on the Website or, where practicable, by email notification to users for whom we hold contact information.
Your continued use of the Website following the posting of any changes to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree to the revised terms, you should discontinue use of the Website and contact us to request deletion of your personal information, subject to applicable legal retention requirements.
11. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this
Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to
exercise any of the rights described in Section 7, please contact our Privacy
Office using the information below. We are committed to addressing all
inquiries in a timely and thorough manner.
|
Virginia Trade School – Privacy Mailing Address: [School Address], Virginia Email Address: privacy@virginiatradeschool.com Telephone: [School Phone Number] Website: www.virginiatradeschool.com Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – |
Please allow up to thirty (30) calendar days for a response to
written inquiries. For time-sensitive matters or security-related concerns, we
recommend contacting us by telephone during regular business hours.