Ensuring your business is GDPR compliant begins with training, but GDPR training isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The right GDPR training course depends on your staff’s roles and the type of personal data they handle. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand what GDPR training your employees need to stay compliant and protect your customers’ data.

Why GDPR Training is Important

Under GDPR, the ICO expects organisations to provide training that is “relevant, accurate and up to date” for all staff members. GDPR training isn’t limited to Data Protection Officers (DPO), HR or IT teams, it should apply to all employees who handle personal data. Effective GDPR training helps reduce the risk of data breaches, ensures personal data is processed correctly and supports overall compliance.

Article 39 of the GDPR states that a DPO is responsible for monitoring compliance, which includes overseeing staff data training. When the ICO investigates a data breach or reviews a complaint, they will often request evidence that all employees have received adequate GDPR training. Failure to provide adequate data training can lead to fines, legal action and reputational damage. 

Who Needs GDPR Training?

Anyone in your organisation who processes or has access to personal data requires GDPR compliance training. This includes sensitive data about customers, employees, suppliers or other third parties. Consider a simple rule: if someone can access personal data, they need training.

While every department and employee in your business will handle data differently, everyone needs to understand their responsibilities under GDPR. 

• Marketing teams use customer data and analytics for targeted messages and must understand GDPR consent requirements. 
• Sales teams handle prospect and client data, so they must ensure they have permission to make contact and know how to comply with data erasure requests. 
• IT teams must ensure appropriate security measures and access controls are in place to protect personal data.
• Finance teams process confidential employee, customer and supplier data and must handle it securely.
• HR teams manage staff records and sensitive personal information that must comply with GDPR requirements around confidentiality and data retention.
• Customer service teams regularly access and handle customer details and must ensure data is protected at all times.

Roles that have access to more sensitive data types and have increased responsibility for compliance, such as finance and IT teams, will require more specialised training than others.

Choosing The Right GDPR Training Course

GDPR training should be delivered during an employee’s induction and refreshed annually to maintain awareness and stay up to date with policy and legislative changes. The ideal course should be comprehensive, covering core principles of GDPR, data subject rights, data protection policies, protocols for data breaches and data security measures. 

General GDPR training can be delivered company-wide, but role-specific training should be provided for different departments based on how they handle data. For example, customer service teams need training on security protocols for handling phone calls, while marketing teams require additional training on the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) to ensure communications are sent lawfully and with consent.

GDPR Training From The Experts

As leading experts in data protection support, we offer a range of online and in-person GDPR training services to address your business requirements. 

From awareness programmes that cover the fundamentals of data protection to bespoke training courses focusing on specific risks and roles, we have a solution for you. Additionally, our soon to launch data protection eLearning platform is packed with comprehensive online courses if you prefer a more flexible option. 

Speak to our team today to learn more about our data protection training services.