In these Terms, the following words have the following meanings:
By creating an account, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, our User Agreement, and our Refund Policy, all of which together form the complete agreement between you and TechBench.
If you do not agree to any part of these Terms, do not create an account or use the Service.
You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service.
TechBench provides structured IT career learning content organised into tiers and career specialisation trees. The Service is designed for individuals who are beginning or developing their IT careers and wish to build practical, responsibility-grounded knowledge.
The Service is provided on a subscription basis. Access to Content depends on your active subscription status and any additional purchases you have made. TechBench does not guarantee any employment outcome, career progression, or examination result as a result of using the Service.
To use the Service, you must create an account using a valid email address and password. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.
You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and for all activity under your account. You must notify us immediately at hello@techbench.it if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
One account per person. Accounts may not be shared, sold, or transferred. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent access restrictions or to exploit trial or promotional offers is prohibited and may result in account termination.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, are used fraudulently, or remain inactive for an extended period following written notice.
Access rule. An active subscription gives you access to all Content you have unlocked. Pausing or cancelling your subscription suspends all access. Resubscribing restores it immediately. No data or progress is lost during a lapse.
Subscriptions are billed monthly on a recurring basis. Payment is processed by Stripe. By purchasing a subscription, you authorise TechBench to charge your payment method on each billing date until you cancel.
Prices are displayed in Euros (EUR) inclusive of any applicable VAT. The price you pay on your first month may differ from subsequent months where a first-month discount applies. The standard recurring price is shown clearly before purchase.
If a payment fails, access to the Service is suspended. We will notify you by email. You may update your payment method in your account settings to resume access. Repeated payment failures may result in account suspension.
You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You retain full access until that date. No partial refunds are issued for unused days in the current period.
Following cancellation, your account, all progress data, certificates, and unlocks are preserved. If you resubscribe at any time, access is restored immediately.
The TechBench model is built on four rules that govern how access works. These rules are not negotiable and exist to protect the integrity of the progression system.
Rule 1 — One-way tier progression. Tier access is permanent and non-reversible. Once you access content at a higher tier (through subscription upgrade or capstone completion), that tier becomes your subscription level. You will not be billed at a lower rate in future periods. Subscription price reflects the highest tier you have reached, regardless of which tier's content you are currently engaging with.
Rule 2 — Branch unlock model. Your primary career Tree is selected during onboarding. Additional Trees may be unlocked at any time via a one-time Branch Unlock fee (€44.99 per Tree). Branch unlocks are permanent and associated with your account for as long as your account exists. A Branch Unlock does not change your subscription tier or price. Unlocked Trees are accessible subject to your active subscription — if your subscription lapses, Tree content is suspended alongside Foundation content.
Rule 3 — Capstone gating. Progress between tiers within a Tree is gated by capstone assessments. You must pass the capstone assessment for your current tier in a given Tree before accessing the next tier's content in that Tree. Capstone assessments require a minimum score of 4 out of 5 to pass. Passed capstones are permanent — you do not need to retake them.
Rule 4 — Subscription price follows highest tier. Your subscription price is determined by the highest tier you have reached across any Tree, not by the Tree or tier you are currently active in. If you unlock a second Tree via Branch Unlock, that Tree begins at Tier 2 (Foundation is shared across all Trees). The subscription price does not change as a result of a Branch Unlock.
Branch Unlocks. A Branch Unlock is a one-time payment that permanently adds a career Tree to your account. Access to the unlocked Tree is subject to your active subscription. See Rule 2 above.
Software Packages. Optional content modules covering topics such as web fundamentals, programming basics, and related tools. One-time purchase, permanently associated with your account. Access gated by active subscription.
Certification Preparation Packages. Optional exam preparation modules for third-party IT certifications. One-time purchase, permanently associated with your account. Access gated by active subscription. TechBench is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorised by any certification body referenced in its content. Certification preparation content is designed to assist study and is not a guarantee of examination success. Each certification module contains a full disclaimer to this effect.
All one-time purchases are non-refundable once content access begins. See the Refund Policy for full details and the limited circumstances in which a refund may be issued.
All Content on the Platform — including but not limited to lesson text, scenarios, quiz questions, reference materials, certificate designs, and the Platform's structural design and code — is the intellectual property of TechBench and is protected by applicable copyright law.
By purchasing a subscription or making a purchase, you are granted a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Content solely for your own personal learning and career development. This licence does not permit you to:
You retain all rights to notes and personal work product you create while using the Platform. By submitting feedback, bug reports, or feature suggestions, you grant TechBench a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable licence to use that input to improve the Service, without obligation to credit or compensate you.
You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:
Violation of this section may result in immediate account suspension or termination without refund.
Your use of the Service is subject to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, your rights, and our obligations under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By creating an account, you confirm that you have read and understood the Privacy Policy.
We aim to maintain the Platform available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. Scheduled maintenance, technical issues, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control may cause temporary unavailability. We will aim to carry out planned maintenance during low-traffic periods and to provide advance notice where possible.
We reserve the right to modify, update, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time. Where we make changes that materially reduce the value of your active subscription — such as removing a substantial portion of Content you have paid to access — we will provide at least 14 days' notice and offer a proportionate remedy, which may include a subscription credit or prorated refund.
We may add, modify, or remove individual lessons, assessments, or features as the platform evolves without this constituting a material reduction in the Service.
If TechBench is to cease operating as a service, we will provide at least 30 days' notice and refund any prepaid subscription period that has not yet been used.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable EU consumer law, TechBench's total liability for any claim arising from or related to these Terms or your use of the Service is limited to the total amounts paid by you to TechBench in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
TechBench is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to: loss of employment or career opportunity; loss of income; failure to pass any examination or certification; or reliance on the accuracy of any Content.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits TechBench's liability for: death or personal injury caused by our negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; any liability that cannot be excluded or limited by applicable EU consumer law; or any statutory rights you have as a consumer that cannot be excluded by contract.
As a consumer in the European Union, you have statutory rights that these Terms do not affect. These include but are not limited to:
The cooling-off right (14-day right of withdrawal) for digital content is addressed in detail in our Refund Policy. By completing a purchase, you confirm that you have given express consent to immediate content delivery and acknowledge the consequences for the withdrawal right.
These Terms are governed by EU consumer law as applicable in your country of residence within the European Union. Where EU harmonised rules apply (including the Consumer Rights Directive, the Unfair Contract Terms Directive, and the Digital Content Directive), those rules take precedence. For matters not covered by EU harmonised rules, Italian law applies as the law of the country from which the Service is operated.
Disputes should in the first instance be directed to hello@techbench.it. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, you have the right to pursue resolution through your national consumer authority or the EU ODR platform referenced above.
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to the Service, applicable law, or our business. When we make material changes, we will update the version date at the top of this page and notify active subscribers by email at least 14 days before changes take effect. For non-material changes (such as clarifications that do not alter your rights), we may update the Terms without prior notice.
Continued use of the Service after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not accept the changes, you may cancel your subscription before the effective date. We will not apply material changes retroactively to purchases already made.
For questions about these Terms, to make a complaint, or to exercise any legal right: hello@techbench.it. We aim to respond within 5 business days.
For billing issues specifically, please include your account email and the date of the charge in question.