GDPR training online in the UK: everyday data handling for all staff

What employers look for in an online GDPR certificate

Your employer decides what training you need. The UK GDPR expects organisations to keep personal data secure and show how they protect it, and training staff is one practical way to do that. When you complete GDPR training, a good certificate shows four things.

1. The course and the hours. The certificate should name the course and the hours of learning, so it can go straight into a training record or CPD log.
2. A date and a way to check it. A completion date, a unique certificate number and a verification link let an employer confirm the certificate.
3. Content that follows current UK law. The course should be written around the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and include the changes made by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
4. A refresh date. A recommended refresh-by date on the certificate helps you and your employer keep training current.

The Lift College certificate does each of these. It names GDPR Training, shows 2 hours of learning, and records your completion date and a recommended refresh date 12 months later. It carries a unique certificate number and a verification link. When the refresh date arrives, you retake the latest version free and download a new certificate.

What the Lift College course covers

The course has 5 short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a multiple-choice final test. You need 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.

1. What counts as personal data. What personal data is, with everyday examples from work. The nine types of special category data and why they need extra care.
2. The seven principles in practice. Lawfulness, fairness and transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, security and accountability. What each one means for your daily tasks.
3. Keeping data secure. Passwords, locked screens, clear desks, phishing emails and sending information to the right person. Simple habits that prevent most mistakes.
4. Spotting and reporting a breach. What a personal data breach is, from a lost laptop to a misdirected email. Why you must report it to your manager or data protection lead at once.
5. People's rights and recent changes. How to recognise a request for someone's own information and pass it on quickly. What the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 changed in 2026.

By the end you can explain what personal data and special category data are, apply the seven principles to your daily work, keep data secure on screen, on paper and on the move, spot a breach and report it straight away, and recognise a subject access request even when it is not called one.

The law and guidance it is written around

• UK General Data Protection Regulation. Sets the rules for using personal data in the UK, including the seven principles and people's rights over their data. Organisations must keep personal data secure and be able to show how they comply.
• Data Protection Act 2018. Works alongside the UK GDPR and fills in the detail, including extra conditions for sensitive data and the powers of the Information Commissioner.
• Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Amended UK data protection law. Most of its data protection changes began on 5 February 2026, and a new complaints duty for organisations began on 19 June 2026.

How Lift College compares with other online GDPR courses

Prices and details below are taken from each provider's own course page, checked 11 October 2026. Lift College is not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to £19.99.

Who it suits

GDPR Training suits you if you:

• work in an office, reception or customer service role and handle customer details
• work in care, education or health and see personal or health information
• use email, shared drives or a CRM that holds people's details
• are new to a job and your employer has asked you to complete GDPR training
• need a yearly refresher on data protection basics

Managers and data leads usually take Data Protection Training as well, for subject access requests, breaches, complaints and data sharing. Both courses sit in the workplace compliance courses, and every course in the Lift College CPD catalogue is £19.99.

What you get for £19.99

• One payment for one learner, no subscription and nothing added at checkout.
• Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from purchase.
• A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Lift emails you 30 days before.
• 14-day money back: ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.
• Open to learners aged 16 or over. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Start GDPR Training for £19.99.