In April 2016, Act Now in partnership with the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) launched IRMS Foundation Certificate in Information Governance. This is the first fully online certificated course on Information Governance and is proving extremely popular amongst public and private sector professionals.
In difficult economic times, traditional face-to-face learning is often the first activity to fall victim to budget cuts. However the area of Information Governance is currently the subject of rapid change. After four years of negotiation, the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has now been formally adopted by the European Parliament and will come into force on 25th May 2018. The Government recently confirmed that it will be adopting the Regulation despite the Brexit vote. The FOI Commission’s report, published in March, will lead to additional obligations for public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act. With recent high profile hacks, records management and information security are now top of the corporate risk agenda. And the list goes on…
Employees and managers need timely and cost effective IG training. The IRMS Foundation Certificate in Information Governance is the solution. This is an online certificated course designed for information management professionals who need to know about the basics of information rights and information management in their job role. It is an ideal starter qualification for those who wish to progress to more advanced qualifications such as the as the Act Now Practitioner Certificate In Data Protection and the BCS FOI and DP Certificates.
There are four learning modules (Records Management, Security and Information Assurance, Data Protection and Freedom of Information). Using the latest web based technology, delegates will be able to learn from the comfort of their own desk by attending four live online webinars. In addition they will be able to tailor their learning through doing four recorded modules from a choice of six. Finally they will do a short online assessment to achieve the certificate endorsed by the excellent reputation of the IRMS.
Since its in inception in April 2016, 70 delegates have successfully completed the course. They represented a diverse range of organisations from the public and private sector including, HMRC, Prudential Regulation Authority, Ropes and Gray International LLP, 14 local councils, Scottish Government, University of the Arts London and Creative Scotland to name but a few.
Feedback from delegates has been very positive:
“The IRMS Foundation Certificate is a great way to cement a base knowledge, plus I found it useful to update some details and understand what changes may be on the horizon.” LK, Isle of Man Government
“Modules were interesting and packed full of useful content. As someone relatively new to the sector, this was the perfect course for me.” JH, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
“The course was really interesting, I have been in the profession for many years but still found a lot of new content throughout the course that built upon my existing knowledge but also explained some topics much more in depth which was very engaging. The webinars were very useful and gave a good insight into the topics as well as giving a good opportunity to ask any questions and engage with other students and tutors. The course has certainly expanded my knowledge and interest in Information Governance and is very relevant to my work. I will be taking the information I have gained on this certificate further to enhance my career.” RD, Ministry of Defence
Ibrahim Hasan, Director of Act Now Training, has developed the course with IRMS colleagues. He said:
“I am pleased that this ground breaking online qualification is proving a big hit with information governance professionals. We are committed to continuous improvement and hope to add more such qualifications to our training portfolio in the future. “
Scott Sammons, the Chair of the IRMS, recently wrote in the IRMS magazine:
“I am very pleased that the online course is proving extremely popular amongst public and private sector professionals. Bookings have been received from a diverse range of organisations including local authorities, Government departments, Academy Trusts, the NHS, universities and even overseas governments!”
The qualification is also suitable for Scottish delegates who can choose to learn about the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act instead of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
IRMS members receive a 10% discount off the normal price of the course (£449 plus vat).
If you would like to know more about this course please see Act Now’s dedicated IRMS Certificate webpages or e mail info@actnow.org.uk. You can also compare all our certificated courses here.
