Cookies

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Information about our use of cookies

Our site uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our site and also allows us to improve our site.

We are required to obtain consent for using or storing cookies (or similar technologies) on your computers or mobile device. This cookie policy provides you with clear and comprehensive information about the cookies we use and the purposes for using those cookies.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies as soon as you visit our site.

Key definitions

  • First and third-party cookies: whether a cookie is ‘first’ or ‘third’ party refers to the domain placing the cookie.
  • First-party cookies are those set by a website that is being visited by the user at the time (e.g. cookies placed by www.northernskills.co.uk)
  • Third-party cookies: are cookies that are set by a domain other than that of the site being visited by the user. If a user visits a website and another entity sets a cookie through that site this would be a third-party cookie
  • Persistent cookies: these cookies remain on a user’s device for the period of time specified in the cookie. They are activated each time that the user visits the website that created that particular cookie
  • Session cookies: these cookies allow website operators to link the actions of a user during a browser session. A browser session starts when a user opens the browser window and finishes when they close the browser window. Session cookies are created temporarily. Once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted

How to delete and block our cookies

You block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies as soon as you visit our site.

Can I withdraw my consent?

If you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, you will need to delete your cookies using your internet browser settings.

How to turn cookies off

Internet browsers allow you to change your cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu of your internet browser. In order to understand these settings, the following links may be helpful. Otherwise you should use the ‘Help’ option in your internet browser for more details.

Cookie settings in Microsoft Edge

Cookie settings in Firefox

Cookie settings in Chrome

Cookie settings in Safari – mobile devices

Cookie settings in Safari – MacOS

What cookies do we use and why?

To find out about specific cookies we use on this site, please see below for details.

The cookies used on our site are categorised as follows:

  • Strictly necessary
  • Performance
  • Targeting and advertising

Strictly necessary – first party persistent cookies

‘Strictly necessary’ cookies let you move around the site and use essential features such as completing online forms. Without these cookies, these features will be unusable.
Please note that these cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you’ve been on the internet.

We use these strictly necessary cookies to:

  • Enable you to submit information via online forms such as registration and feedback forms.

By not accepting the use of ‘Strictly necessary’ cookies, we cannot guarantee how our site will perform for you or how the security on our site will perform during your visit.

Performance – first and third party, session cookies

‘Performance’ cookies collect information about how you use our site e.g. which pages you visit, and if you experience any errors.

These cookies do not collect any information that could identify you and is only used to help us improve how our site works, understand what interests our users and measure how effective our content is.

We use Web Analytics performance cookies to provide anonymous statistics on how our site is used. Some of these performance cookies are managed for us by third parties.

However, we do not allow the third party to use the cookies for any purpose other than those listed above.

By not accepting the use of ‘Performance’ cookies, we cannot guarantee how our site will perform for you.

Targeting and Advertising – first and third party, persistent but time-limited cookies

‘Targeting and advertising’ cookies are used to deliver adverts that are more relevant to you and your interests as well as helping us to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with the advertiser.

We use Targeting and Advertising cookies to customise content and advertising, to provide social media features and to analyse traffic to the site. We also share information about your use of our site with the following trusted social media, advertising and analytics partners:
– Facebook (view Facebook’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy)

More information about cookies