Privacy Policy

EmployNext Alberta is a services program delivered by Serco Canada Inc. and its affiliates (collectively, “Serco”, “EmployNext Alberta”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) in Alberta. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, protect, and otherwise handle personal information when individuals interact with EmployNext Alberta through digital tools, communications, events, and services.

This Privacy Policy supplements any collection notices, consent forms, referral forms, service agreements, accessibility notices, or program-specific privacy notices that apply to a particular interaction, platform, or service. If there is any inconsistency between this Privacy Policy and applicable law, a binding contract, or a program-specific notice required for a particular service, the applicable law, contract, or specific notice will govern to the extent of the inconsistency.

By submitting information to us or interacting with EmployNext Alberta, you acknowledge that your information may be handled as described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Applicable Laws and Privacy Framework

EmployNext Alberta handles personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws and contractual requirements. Depending on the context, this may include Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act (POPA), Alberta’s Access to Information Act (ATIA), and, where applicable, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

In general, PIPA may apply to information we collect and manage, such as general inquiries, newsletter sign-ups, employer inquiries, partner inquiries, client information, referrals and other business or community relationship activities.

Where we collect, use, disclose, or manage information on behalf of the Government of Alberta or another Alberta public body in connection with provincial employment services, POPA, ATIA, contractual requirements, and provincial directions may apply in addition to this Privacy Policy.

In some situations, records relating to Alberta program delivery may be in the custody or control of an Alberta public body even where they are processed by EmployNext Alberta.

2. What We Collect

Depending on how you interact with EmployNext Alberta, we may collect the following categories of information. We limit collection of personal information to what is directly related to and reasonably necessary for the relevant service, interaction, legal requirement, or business purpose permitted by law.

Identity and contact information: such as name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, preferred language, preferred contact method, and other information you provide to us.
Government or program-related identifiers: such as referral numbers, file numbers, case numbers, or client identifiers assigned by a funder, referral source, public body, or program system.
Employment, education, and service information: such as employment history, education and training history, certifications, licences, résumé details, work authorization information, job preferences, service history, and support needs.
Accessibility, accommodation, and support-related information: such as communication preferences, accessibility needs, transportation barriers, childcare barriers, assistive technology needs, and other barriers or supports relevant to service delivery.
Employer, partner, and service provider information: such as business contact information, organization details, role/title, service information, and partnership or collaboration communications.
Communications and transaction information: such as messages, inquiries, appointment information, referral activity, service notes, feedback, surveys, complaints, and records of interactions with our staff or authorized representatives.
Technical and usage information: such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, referring URLs, session activity, date and time information, and cookie or similar technology identifiers where applicable.
De-identified or aggregated information: that no longer identifies an individual and may be used for reporting, analytics, quality assurance, service improvement, planning, and compliance purposes.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information directly from you when you complete a form, communicate with us, attend an event, participate in services, or otherwise provide information to us.

We may also collect information from referral sources, public bodies, funders, employers, community partners, service providers, digital platforms, case management systems, and technologies where permitted or required by law or contract.

Where appropriate, we provide a collection notice and, where consent is the proper basis, we seek consent in a manner appropriate to the circumstances and the sensitivity of the information.

Where you submit information through a form or digital tool, we may provide a just-in-time collection notice explaining the purpose of the collection, whether the information is required or optional, the legal or contractual basis for the collection where applicable, and who to contact with questions.

4. Why We Use Personal Information

We may collect, use, and disclose personal information for lawful and reasonable purposes, including to:

provide employment services, service navigation, case management, referrals, assessments, follow-up support, employer engagement, accommodation planning, and related supports;
respond to inquiries, manage appointments, coordinate referrals, communicate about services, and maintain service continuity;
determine or document eligibility, service needs, accommodations, and support pathways;
support trauma-informed, accessible, culturally responsive, and individualized service delivery;
operate, secure, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve our systems, communications, and digital tools;
verify identity, maintain records, protect service integrity, and prevent fraud, misuse, misconduct, or security incidents;
meet legal, regulatory, audit, reporting, funding, contractual, and record-keeping obligations;
conduct quality assurance, internal training, program evaluation, planning, analytics, and performance measurement; and
create and use de-identified or aggregated information for service improvement, reporting, analytics, and planning.

We limit our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information to what is reasonably necessary for the identified purpose, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.

5. Consent

Where consent is the appropriate basis for collection, use, or disclosure, we seek consent in a form appropriate to the circumstances and the sensitivity of the information. Consent may be express or implied depending on the situation and applicable law.

For certain disclosures, referrals, communications, accessibility supports, or service activities, we may require more specific consent or use a separate consent form, authorization, or collection notice.

You may withdraw consent for certain uses of your information at any time, subject to legal, contractual, operational, or service-delivery limitations. If you withdraw consent, we may be unable to continue providing some services or features, and we will explain any material consequences where appropriate.

Where we rely on information you provide, we expect that it is accurate and that you are authorized to provide it.

6. When We Share Information

We do not sell personal information.

We may disclose personal information only as reasonably necessary and as permitted or required by law, contract, or applicable program rules, including in the following circumstances:

Program delivery and coordination: We may share information with referral sources, provincial systems, public bodies, community agencies, training providers, wraparound supports providers, accessibility or accommodation partners, employers, and other organizations involved in delivering, coordinating, or supporting the services you request or receive.
Service providers and vendors: We may use carefully selected service providers to support hosting, cloud services, communications, analytics, security, document management, accessibility tools, administrative support, and case management. These providers must act on our instructions and are required to protect personal information through appropriate contractual and security controls.
Legal, safety, and compliance reasons: We may disclose information where necessary to comply with law, court order, subpoena, investigation, audit, regulatory requirement, insurance requirement, or contractual obligation, or where necessary to protect rights, safety, security, property, or operations.
Corporate transactions: If permitted by law, information may be disclosed as part of a proposed or completed merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or similar transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.
With your direction or authorization: We may disclose personal information where you request, direct, or authorize us to do so.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to support system operation, security, accessibility, user preferences, performance measurement, and service improvement where applicable.

These technologies may include strictly necessary cookies required for core functions and security, functional cookies that remember settings or preferences, and analytics tools that help us understand use and performance.

Where required by law or appropriate in the circumstances, we will provide choices or seek consent for non-essential technologies. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling certain technologies may affect functionality.

8. Data Location, Storage, and Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, loss, misuse, or destruction. These safeguards may include role-based access controls, secure authentication practices, encryption in transit and, where appropriate, at rest, vendor due diligence, logging and monitoring, incident management processes, secure retention and disposal procedures, and staff confidentiality and training requirements.

Personal information collected, used, or stored on behalf of the Province of Alberta or another Alberta public body in connection with EmployNext Alberta program delivery is stored in Canada in accordance with applicable law and contractual requirements.

For other administration or general business operations not involving Alberta program records, we aim to use service providers and storage arrangements that are appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and the legal or contractual requirements that apply.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. However, we take privacy and security seriously and apply safeguards that are reasonable and appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and the context.

9. Privacy Incidents and Breach Response

We maintain processes to identify, assess, contain, investigate, document, and respond to privacy and security incidents involving personal information.

Where notification is required by applicable law or contract, or where a privacy incident creates a material or legally relevant risk of harm, we will notify affected individuals, regulators, public bodies, and other required parties in accordance with those obligations.

Where information is handled on behalf of the Province of Alberta or another public body, we may also report incidents to and coordinate incident response with the relevant public body in accordance with applicable law, contract, and direction.

10. Retention and Secure Destruction

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required or permitted by law, audit requirements, legal holds, dispute resolution needs, records management standards, funding terms, or contractual obligations.

Retention periods may differ depending on the type of record, the service involved, and whether the information is held in connection with services delivered on behalf of the Province of Alberta or another public body.

When retention is no longer required, we securely delete, destroy, anonymize, or de-identify information using methods appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and the medium in which it is stored.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Your rights depend on the nature of your relationship with us and the legal framework that applies to the information involved.

If you are an employer, partner, service provider contact, newsletter subscriber, or other individual interacting with EmployNext Alberta in a private-sector context, you may have the right, subject to applicable law and identity verification requirements, to request access to your personal information, request correction of inaccurate personal information, withdraw consent to certain uses where consent is the basis for processing, ask questions about our privacy practices, or make a complaint about our handling of your personal information.

If your information relates to Alberta program services delivered on behalf of the Province of Alberta or another Alberta public body, your access, correction, and complaint rights may instead be governed by POPA, ATIA, or the applicable public-body process. In those cases, we may redirect you to the appropriate public body or process, forward the request where appropriate, or cooperate with the public body in responding to your request.

We may ask for enough information to verify your identity before responding to a request. We may also limit or refuse a request where permitted or required by law, including where information cannot be disclosed, must be retained, or includes information about another individual or third party.

12. Records Held by Alberta Public Bodies

Where information forms part of a record in the custody or control of an Alberta public body, or is processed by us on behalf of an Alberta public body, different legal rules may apply to access, correction, retention, disclosure, and complaint handling.

If we receive a request that must be addressed through a public body or formal statutory process, we may redirect the request accordingly or forward it to the appropriate public body where permitted.

13. Automated Tools, Analytics, and AI

We may use technology-assisted tools to support operations, document handling, inquiry routing, scheduling, accessibility, security monitoring, fraud prevention, analytics, résumé review, skills matching, job matching support, and service planning.

These tools are intended to support human judgment, operational efficiency, and service quality. Significant decisions affecting an individual’s eligibility, rights, or access to services are not intended to be made solely by automated means unless expressly permitted by law and appropriately disclosed.

14. Third-Party Websites and Services

Where our services reference or connect to third-party websites, logins, maps, videos, portal pages, or other services that we do not own or control, we are not responsible for the privacy, security, or content practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information to them.

15. Commercial Electronic Messages

If you ask to receive newsletters, updates, invitations, or other electronic communications from us that may be commercial in nature, we will manage consent in accordance with Canada’s anti-spam law where applicable. You can unsubscribe from non-essential marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe mechanism in the message or by contacting us using the information below.

16. Children and Youth

Our communications and services are intended for a general audience. Where services involve youth or young adults, we handle personal information in accordance with applicable law, the service context, and any required consent or authorized representative requirements.

17. Accessibility

We are committed to making our communications as accessible as reasonably possible. This Privacy Policy is available in accessible formats on request.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, contractual obligations, services, technologies, vendors, or privacy practices. Where required by law or where changes are material, we may provide more prominent notice or seek additional consent.

19. Contact Us

Questions, access requests, correction requests, privacy concerns, or complaints may be directed to:

Attention: Privacy Officer

EmployNext Alberta / Serco Canada Inc.

+1-888-319-7197
[email protected]
220 Bay Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5J 2W4

If you believe your privacy rights have been affected, you may also have the right to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, depending on which law applies to the information involved.