Data Protection Training Course (GDPR)

This course is aimed at helping those involved in handling people’s information as part of their day-to-day role to better protect that data.

This course will provide a Data Protection (UK GDPR) overview for those looking to gain more information on how to uphold the seven principles. With this course learners will understand the key principles and process under the regulation and what their roles and responsibilities include.

Data protection compliance is a key priority for businesses, as there is a risk of large financial penalties for failing to introduce a culture of greater data transparency.

Legislation, such as the Data Use and Access (DUA) Act 2025 and UK GDPR, has given consumers more power than ever before over their data. They now have the right to know how their data is used and stored, and for how long. They also have the right to be deleted from marketing databases, and businesses that fail to comply with any of these requests could find themselves facing a fine of up to £17.5 million, or 4% of total global annual turnover, depending on which is greater.

It is vital that everyone who handles data as part of their job is aware of the current legislation, and this is exactly what the Virtual College’s the Essentials of Data Protection e-learning course is designed to help with.

Why take this GDPR training course?

It's important that everyone within a business is aware of the new data protection rules and understands data protection compliance to ensure the company is staying in line with the rules laid out by the Information Commission (IC).

After completing our The Essentials of Data Protection course, learners will:

• Understand what data is, and the different types of data
• Recognise the seven principles of data protection
• Understand how to safely handle sensitive data
• Understand the rights of data subjects
• Know the responsibilities of the information commissioner

Our online data protection training course has been made for anyone working with personal data to ensure their and their employer's compliance.

Who is this course for?

The Essentials of Data Protection (GDPR) is designed for anyone who handles personal information as part of their job. This could be recruitment consultants, administrative assistants, marketing executives or managers of any kind. Data handling and processing forms part of many roles, so our e-learning course would be of benefit to many professionals.

This GDPR training course is also suitable for those who want to understand how companies are required to store personal data and the legal procedures for collecting personal data. This Data Protection training will also explain consumer data rights, including the six principles of data protection.

It is important to note that the content of this Data Protection (GDPR) training is based around fictional characters, places, events, businesses and incidents. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.

Testing and certification

At the end of our The Essentials of Data Protection (GDPR) e-learning course, there is a test consisting of 15 multiple choice questions, for which a pass mark of at least 80% is required.

Learners can have as many as six attempts at the test at no extra cost, and further tries can be arranged by contacting the Virtual College team.

After achieving a pass mark of 80%, learners will be able to download and print a Virtual College certificate for their records.

Course duration

The Essentials of Data Protection (GDPR) course should take one to two hours to complete, but this depends on how quickly each individual absorbs the study material.

Progress is recorded and automatically saved throughout by the Virtual College Learning Management System, meaning learners can take as long as they need to complete the data protection training.

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this data protection training course.