BCS courses are a great way to develop your knowledge and understanding about a range of topics, especially those related to data protection.
Having done the BCS Practitioner Certificate In Data Protection and the BCS Foundation Certificate In Information Security Management Principles courses, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). I signed up for the 5-day course delivered by DPAS knowing that it would be a challenging but interesting course.
While there are no specific formal entry requirements to sign up for the BCS FOI course, having completed the one-day FOI foundation course, taught by Bilal I felt confident to do the practitioner course.
Over the course we were provided with plenty of interesting real-world examples of the application of FOI and the relevant legislation. The interactive nature of the course helped aid my own knowledge and understanding, which in turn gave me the tools to analyse the scenario-based questions in the exam, as well as understand FOI in a practical environment.
I will admit, BCS exams are challenging. As some of you may know from experience, there are multiple-choice questions which require you to know the subject matter well. If you read the syllabus and get fully involved in our BCS accredited training course, you will be able to successfully pass. The exam is a 90-minute scenario-based ‘closed book’ online exam consisting of 21 questions with a pass mark of 65% (26/40).
Spoiler Alert! I successfully passed all my BCS exams with the help and expert guidance of the excellent trainers at DPAS.
If you are interested in the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the relevant legislation then this is the course for you. I highly recommend the course for anyone responsible for managing or responding to FOI, EIR, and Information Rights requests. For example, Information Requests Managers, Information Governance Managers, or FOI team members.
WHAT WILL YOUR STAFF LEARN?
During the course, we learnt about the different components of the ‘Freedom of Information Act 2000’ and the ‘Environmental Information Regulations Act 2004’, as well as how to apply the relevant legislation in practice. For more information on what is taught, please find a summary below, further information can also be found on the FOI training page of our website.
Your staff will understand how to instil robust information practices (including records management) based on the FOI and apply them to your organisation. The course is split up into six parts over 5 days, through which you will understand in greater detail how to apply the legislation in practice, as well as understand the FOI and EIR in the context of the relevant legislation.
The six parts are:
- Part 1: Legislation, codes of practice, and ethics, including understanding the difference between ethics and legislation.
- Part 2: The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act
- Part 3: Obligations and Responsibilities
- Part 4: Disclosure, Non-disclosure, and exemptions
- Part 5: Environmental Information and Personal Data
- Part 6: Enforcement and Appeals
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN OUR BCS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION TRAINING COURSE?
- Five-day interactive course with an experienced trainer.
- Freedom of Information Book
- Sample papers to help you revise.
- 12-month BCS Professional membership.
- BCS exam (to be taken when convenient to you).
- Support for 1-month post-course on FOI related matters.
- An opportunity to network with other data protection and FOI professionals.
- This course is part of the Freedom of Information Training Pathway, the details of which can be found below:
HOW MUCH IS THE COURSE?
- £1,800.00 excl. VAT per delegate (five-day course)
- Contact us to discuss your requirements – we will not be beaten on price.
If you’d like to sign up for the Freedom of Information or one of our other BCS courses, you can contact us at info@dataprivacyadvisory.com or by calling our office at 0203 301 3384.
Can’t attend our earlier dates? View our courses later in the year.
