What are the requirements for data protection training?
Since May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has required companies to appoint a data protection officer. This person serves as a contact person, advisor and supervisor to ensure that the organization complies with data protection laws such as the GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). But what are the requirements for training as a data protection officer?
To date, no official vocational training or even a degree course leading to the qualification of data protection officer has been offered. However, as data protection officers are mandatory for many companies and there are high fines for violations, training opportunities to become a data protection officer are often sought after and there are many training courses available. This has the advantage that both beginners and experienced data protection officers can grow into this important position. Experienced data protection officers are in short supply on the market.
It is recommended to offer your data protection officer additional training to gain a deep understanding of the GDPR and the tasks of a DPO. This is the only way to help the company comply with the GDPR. They will learn the role of an independent advisor and recognize the pitfalls they may encounter. Through further training, your data protection officer not only has specialist knowledge, but can also acquire practical knowledge.
A data protection officer should have a certain basic knowledge of IT and data protection law before starting a training course. Basically, any employee can start data protection officer training as long as there is no conflict of interest. Internal and external data protection officers differ primarily in terms of experience. External data protection officers often have more expertise in complex cases.
Data protection officer training
The 2B Advice Academy offers a three-day course of six hours per day. This course provides participants with the specialist knowledge to competently perform the role of external or internal data protection officer in a company. 2B Advice is a Corporate Gold member of the international organization IAPP, which also specializes in data protection training. It is known for its effective training courses on the GDPR and qualification as a data protection officer.
During these three days, the legal basis of data protection, data protection organization and management as well as technical data protection are practiced with the participants. You can find out more here.
There are also other providers of data protection officer training. TÜV, DEKRA and the chambers of industry and commerce offer seminars on data protection in which participants can acquire data protection knowledge within a week.
These seminars for data protection officer training cover the practical implementation of data protection in accordance with the GDPR and BDSG, data protection and data security, employee and customer data protection in marketing and sales.
After completing these seminars and passing the exam, participants receive a certificate and can be deployed in their own organization as an internal data protection officer or as an external data protection officer.
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