Privacy Policy

How we collect, use, and protect your personal information at OCC Academy of Education.

1. Who we are

OCC Academy of Education (also "the Academy", "we", "us", "our") is a brand of OCC Holding and Consultancy, with offices at Wayaca 6B, Aeromall, Hyatt Place Aruba Airport, Oranjestad, Aruba. We are the data controller responsible for your personal information collected through this website and through your course registration with us.

2. The principle we operate under

We collect the minimum personal information needed to enrol you in a course, communicate with you about your enrolment, and meet our legal and tax obligations in Aruba. We do not sell your information. We do not share it with third parties for marketing. We do not use it for advertising.

3. What we collect

When you fill in a form on our website or enrol in person:

• Your first and last name;
• Your email address;
• Your phone or WhatsApp number;
• Your native language, where you provide it;
• The course or programme you have selected;
• Your prior experience with the language;
• Any additional notes you choose to share with us (goals, scheduling needs, accessibility).

When you visit our website:

• Standard server logs may record your IP address, browser type, and the pages you visit. These logs are kept by our hosting provider (Netlify) for the purpose of operating and securing the site;
• A small preference cookie may be set to remember your chosen interface language (EN, NL, or ES);
• The Google Maps embed on our contact page sets cookies managed by Google. Use of Google Maps is governed by Google's own privacy policy, which we do not control.

4. Why we collect it

We use your information to:

• Process your registration and confirm your place;
• Communicate with you about your course (start dates, schedule changes, materials, assessment results);
• Issue invoices and meet our tax and accounting obligations in Aruba;
• Improve our courses and the website experience based on aggregated, non-identifying patterns;
• Respond to your enquiries.

If you have not yet enrolled, we use the information you provided in your enquiry only to respond to you and to follow up about courses you may be interested in.

5. Who else sees it

We share your information only with the following categories of third party, and only to the extent necessary:

• Netlify, our website and form hosting service, processes form submissions and delivers them to our email inbox. Netlify is bound by its own privacy practices and data-processing standards.
• Our instructors, where they need to know your name, level, and prior experience to deliver your course;
• Cas di Papiamento, our sister school, where your Papiamento preparation involves them — and only with respect to that course;
• The Government of Aruba, where we are required by law to provide information (for example, in connection with naturalization preparation, only at your request and with your written consent).

We do not share your information with any other third party for any other purpose without your explicit consent.

6. How long we keep it

• Active participants: for the duration of your enrolment and for five (5) years afterwards, to meet our tax, accounting, and certification record-keeping obligations under Aruban law;
• Enquiries that do not become enrolments: generally up to twelve (12) months, after which they are deleted, unless you have asked us to keep your details for future course offerings;
• Server logs: typically thirty (30) days, in line with our hosting provider's standard retention.

After these periods, we delete or anonymise your personal information.

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct any information that is inaccurate;
• Request deletion of your information, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records;
• Withdraw consent for any optional use of your information, including photo and video use (see clause 8);
• Lodge a complaint with the relevant data-protection authority in Aruba if you believe we have not handled your information properly.

To exercise any of these rights, write to us at info@occacademyaruba.com. We will respond within a reasonable period.

8. Photo and video

Our use of classroom photography and video is described in our Terms & Conditions. If you wish to opt out of being photographed or filmed, you must notify us in writing before your course begins.

9. Cookies

This website uses minimal cookies. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels. The cookies that may be set are:

• A language preference cookie, used only to remember your chosen interface language across visits;
• Google Maps cookies, set by the embedded map on our contact page. These are controlled by Google.

You can refuse or delete cookies in your browser settings; doing so may affect the convenience of the language preference but will not prevent you from using the site.

10. Children

Our website and courses are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, contact us at info@occacademyaruba.com and we will delete it.

11. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. No method of transmission over the internet, however, is one hundred percent secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is always available at occacademyaruba.com/privacy.html, with the "last updated" date shown below. Material changes will be communicated to active participants by email.

13. Contact

For any question, request, or concern about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information:

OCC Academy of Education
Wayaca 6B, Aeromall, Hyatt Place Aruba Airport
Oranjestad, Aruba
Email: info@occacademyaruba.com
WhatsApp: +297 593 1982