1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to provide information to website owners, and to improve user experience.
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), which sit alongside UK GDPR, we are required to obtain your consent before setting any cookies that are not strictly necessary for the functioning of our website.
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies on our website to ensure the website functions correctly and securely, remember your preferences and settings, understand how you use our website so we can improve it, and provide relevant content and, where you have consented, personalised experiences.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are set in response to actions you take, such as logging in, setting privacy preferences, or filling in forms. These cookies do not require your consent under PECR.
session_id
Maintains your login session — expires when you close your browser
cookie_consent
Stores your cookie consent preferences — 12 months
csrf_token
Security token to prevent cross-site request forgery — session
__cf_bm
Cloudflare bot management and security — 30 minutes
3.2 Functional Cookies
These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalisation, such as remembering your language preferences, region, or display settings. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, some features may not function properly.
user_preferences
Stores display and accessibility preferences — 12 months
recently_viewed
Remembers recently viewed courses or pages — 30 days
3.3 Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This data helps us improve the structure, content, and performance of our website. These cookies require your consent.
_ga
Google Analytics — distinguishes unique users — 2 years
_ga_*
Google Analytics 4 — maintains session state — 2 years
_gid
Google Analytics — distinguishes users — 24 hours
IP Anonymisation: We use Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google.
3.4 Marketing Cookies
These cookies are used to track visitors across websites to display relevant advertisements. They are set by our advertising partners and require your explicit consent.
_fbp
Facebook Pixel — tracks website visits for advertising — 3 months
li_sugr
LinkedIn Insight Tag — advertising analytics — 3 months
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages. We do not control how these third parties use cookies. The third-party services we use include:
5. Cookie Consent
In accordance with PECR and UK GDPR, we obtain your consent before placing any non-essential cookies on your device. When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept all cookies, reject all non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences by cookie category.
Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent and cannot be disabled, as they are essential for the website to function. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our website.
6. Managing Cookies
6.1 Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically set your browser to block all cookies, accept only first-party cookies, delete cookies when you close your browser, or be notified when a cookie is set.
Please note that blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of our website and other websites you visit.
6.2 Browser-Specific Instructions
For instructions on managing cookies in your specific browser, please visit:
6.3 Opt-Out Tools
You can also opt out of specific third-party cookies:
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in technology, or changes in law. Where changes are material, we will update the “last updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via our cookie consent mechanism.
