Data Protection Essentials is a free online training and self-assessment programme created especially for small and medium-sized organisations, their employees, and sole traders.

Designed by ICO experts, it gives you clear guidance to take the guesswork out of data protection, and the practical know-how to apply the essentials confidently in your everyday work.

The training is bite-sized, self-paced and fits into your working day, making it easier to build good data protection habits to help your organisation thrive.

Why complete Data Protection Essentials?

Completing the programme helps you turn data protection from a legal requirement into a platform for success.

It’ll help you:

• put data protection into action and strengthen your everyday practices;
• protect people and their information more proactively;
• spot and avoid risks before they become problems; and
• use personal information confidently to build trust, improve customer relationships and make the most of new opportunities.

You’ll also be able to show your customers, employees and stakeholders that you take data protection seriously by earning:

• digital certificates when you and your team (if you have one) complete the training; and
• a digital certificate for your organisation, and the option of being listed on our Data Protection Essentials public register, after completing the self-assessment.

Find out more