Data Protection Foundation (S-DPF)

Complete beginner's GDPR training & certificate. Learn from experienced privacy professionals.

Understand the GDPR through easy explanations, real-world examples and practical exercises;

Get a clear picture of your rights and obligations under the GDPR;

Translate the GDPR to your daily life and work.

Data Protection Foundation – Comprehensive online beginner’s GDPR training and certificate

Our Data Protection Foundation course is designed by experienced privacy experts to help you truly understand the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and meet fundamental compliance requirements. The training combines in-depth analysis of the GDPR’s key terms and provisions, practical examples, interactive group discussions and exercises based on actual events to equip you with the ability to translate the GDPR to your daily work. By completing the course and passing your certification exam, you demonstrate your ability to handle personal data in a GDPR-compliant way, which is a valued skill for any job role that involves working with people’s information. If you aspire to start a career in privacy, you will be fully equipped to follow Data Protection Practitioner, a hands-on training to learn and practice the tasks of a Data Protection Officer.

Why join Data Protection Foundation?

Privacy is an ongoing concern for organisations in all sectors. Data protection authorities are increasingly monitoring GDPR-compliance, imposing fines of up to 4% of an organisation’s annual global turnover or €20 million. At the same time, consumers are also becoming more aware of their privacy rights and more selective about whom they trust with their information. In today’s increasingly privacy-conscious regulatory and consumer landscape, a good understanding of European privacy rules and the ability to handle personal data in accordance with the GDPR are valuable skills in any industry.

This entry-level course provides a basic but thorough introduction to the GDPR’s key principles and their application to real-world processing activities. No prior knowledge of the GDPR is required to participate. If you already have a good understanding of GDPR terminology, processing principles, controller and processor obligations and data subject rights, we recommend you to take our Privacy & Data Protection Practitioner course, where you can practice writing a privacy notice, conducting a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), drafting a data breach procedure, and performing other key DPO activities.

Who should join Data Protection Foundation?

This entry-level online GDPR training and certificate are ideal for anyone wishing to start a privacy career without a background in European data protection. The course is also extremely useful for professionals who work with personal data in other fields and wish to enhance their value to employers by adding certified GDPR skills to their profile.

This training is the perfect choice if you:

• Aspire to start a career in privacy and want to have the basics covered before following more advanced GDPR trainings;
• Are an information security or IT security professional and wish to improve your cooperation with Data Protection and Privacy Officers;
• Own a business or manage a team, make decisions on collecting and using people’s information, and need to understand your obligations under the EU GDPR;
• Work with personal data in marketing, administration, healthcare, customer service, accounting or any other role and wish to enhance your value to employers by demonstrating your ability to contribute to your organisation’s GDPR-compliance.

Learning objectives of Data Protection Foundation

• Understand the historical and legal context of European privacy and data protection legislation and the General Data Protection Regulation;
• Understand the GDPR’s key terms and definitions;
• Understand the GDPR’s material and territorial scope (what information and what activities the GDPR applies to, what are the exceptions, and in what situations the GDPR applies within and outside the EU/EEA);
• Understand the main provisions of the GDPR and their consequences for individuals and businesses;
• Interpret the GDPR’s seven key processing principles and apply them to real-life situations;
• Interpret the restrictions on the processing of personal data and apply your knowledge to real-life situations;
• Interpret the obligations of controllers and processors and apply your knowledge to real-life situations;
• Know how compliance with the GDPR can be demonstrated to the supervisory authority;
• Understand the consequences of non-compliance;
• Know where to find additional information and resources about specific provisions.

This entry-level course provides a basic but thorough introduction to the GDPR’s key principles and their application to real-world processing activities. No prior knowledge of the GDPR is required to participate. If you already have a good understanding of GDPR terminology, processing principles, controller and processor obligations and data subject rights, we recommend you to take our Privacy & Data Protection Practitioner course, where you can practice writing a privacy notice, conducting a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), drafting a data breach procedure, and performing other key DPO activities.

What is included?

• Official SECO-Institute course materials developed by practicing data protection specialists;
• Training from experienced privacy experts who can introduce you to real-world privacy issues and solutions;
• Practice exam and exam syllabus so you can fully prepare for your certification exam;
• Certification exam voucher
• Access to the (S)ECO-system, a professional community website where you will find additional resources and data protection templates you can use at work.

• 3 course days, 1pm – 5.30pm CEST
• 8.5 hours of self-study
• 1 CPE credit per study hour
• English spoken online classroom

For follow-up options, please visit our website.