Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Apprentice (Salary - £30,283)
OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT ADJUDICATOR FOR HIGHER EDUCA
Reading (RG1 1AX)
Closes in 17 days (Sunday 23 August 2026)
Posted on 5 August 2026
Contents
Summary
As a Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Apprentice, your main focus will be to support and advise colleagues at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) working with personal data, to ensure that they meet their obligations under UK GDPR, DPA 2018, supporting regulations, and good practice guidelines.
- Wage
-
£30,283 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Grade 2
- Training course
- Data protection and information governance practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
Full-time or part-time (minimum 4 days per week). Minimum two days per week in the Reading office. During the probation period more days are likely to be required.
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Wednesday 14 October 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 7 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Main Responsibilities:
- Respond to people exercising their data protections rights, particularly the rights of access, rectification and erasure. Work with colleagues to identify and collate information that should be supplied. Ensure that requests are answered within the relevant deadlines. Maintain and improve systems for tracking how we are responding to data subject rights requests
- Act as the first responder to reports of suspected data breaches
- Carry out initial fact finding and make recommendations about how to address any breaches, including whether a report should be made to ICO and/or the data subject informed. Maintain and improve systems for recording data breaches or suspected breaches. Ensure learning from breaches is fed into operational practice
- Respond to people who have a complaint about how we have handled their personal data. Carry out initial fact finding and make recommendations about how to respond to the complaint
- Support colleagues to complete core documentation that helps the OIA demonstrate compliance with the data protection regime including
- The Record of Processing Activities (ROPA)
- Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIAs)
- Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs)
- Appropriate Policy Documents (APDs)
- Maintain a regular review cycle to ensure that documentation is up to date and accurate and that risks are monitored
- Prepare privacy notifications that explain what we are doing with personal data in different contexts
- With support from Communications colleagues, prepare additional information for internal colleagues and external stakeholders (e.g. students who have complained to the OIA) about our approach to personal data
- Develop and deliver engaging and informative training to colleagues to ensure that everyone maintains an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding about how to handle personal data appropriately within the OIA
- Provide advice and guidance to all colleagues about handling personal data, covering casework activities (personal data of individuals within complaints files) as well as wider organizational activities (e.g. personal data of our staff or other stakeholders)
- From time to time, look at how organisations we may partner with meet their responsibilities towards personal data. Help to prepare any necessary data sharing agreements
- Keep up to date with legislative changes and best practice guidance from ICO and other relevant professional sources. Flag any developments that may affect how the OIA goes about our work
- Champion excellent information management practice within the OIA. Model excellent practice in creating, storing, sharing and deleting information in accordance with records management policy
- Contribute to the continuous development of records management policies, including retention policies. Monitor compliance with the records management policy, and support colleagues in developing good records management habits
Where you'll work
Apex Building
Reading
RG1 1AX
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
DAMAR LIMITED
Training course
Data protection and information governance practitioner (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Use IT systems to manage, share and store information in accordance with data protection requirements and organisation policies.
- Communicate complex subjects in simple terms through different media (such as face to face meetings, emails, reports and presentations) to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required.
- Prepare documentation and materials for review and ratification.
- Working at times under time pressure, prioritising their workloads in order to raise and resolve areas of concern such as individual rights, breach management, FOI requests and information sharing.
- Being able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation, showing the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment.
- Undertake data collection, data analysis, data presentation and date storage such as data incidents.
- Interpret regulation and legislation, share best practice and advise stakeholders on its application.
- Identify organisation needs and how these are applied to enquiries.
- Interpret and apply sector guidance appropriately.
- Undertake investigations and interviews in order to assess a data breach.
- Gather, analyse, use and share data to inform risk assessment and make judgements on actions to take.
- Make decisions on data protection and information governance issues raised and ensure that any areas of concern are escalated to the stakeholders.
- Provide day to day support, specialist advice, guidance and training across the organisation and external stakeholders for all matters regarding information governance and data protection.
- Identify potential data solutions and evidence the way in which they could improve data management.
- Use IT systems to manage, share and store information in accordance with data protection requirements and organisation policies.
- Communicate complex subjects in simple terms through different media (such as face to face meetings, emails, reports and presentations) to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required.
- Prepare documentation and materials for review and ratification.
- Working at times under time pressure, prioritising their workloads in order to raise and resolve areas of concern such as individual rights, breach management, FOI requests and information sharing.
- Being able to accept and deal with changing priorities related to both their own work and to the organisation, showing the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment.
- Undertake data collection, data analysis, data presentation and date storage such as data incidents.
- Interpret regulation and legislation, share best practice and advise stakeholders on its application.
- Identify organisation needs and how these are applied to enquiries.
- Interpret and apply sector guidance appropriately.
- Undertake investigations and interviews in order to assess a data breach.
- Gather, analyse, use and share data to inform risk assessment and make judgements on actions to take.
- Make decisions on data protection and information governance issues raised and ensure that any areas of concern are escalated to the stakeholders.
- Provide day to day support, specialist advice, guidance and training across the organisation and external stakeholders for all matters regarding information governance and data protection.
- Identify potential data solutions and evidence the way in which they could improve data management.
Training schedule
Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship standard
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
There is no parking onsite- but are right next to Reading train station. Discounts are available for nearby car parks.
About this employer
Our vision is that higher education students are always treated fairly. We work towards this by resolving individual complaints from students, sharing learning from complaints to help improve policies and practices, and working with other organisations in the HE sector and beyond. Our strategy sets out our organisational priorities.
All roles are expected to demonstrate our organisational values of integrity and independence, quality, openness and accessibility, service ethos, engagement, and equality and diversity.
These underpin how work is carried out, decision are made and work relationships are built.
https://www.oiahe.org.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Company Benefits:
- 28 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time) rising 1 day per year of service with a maximum of 33 days.
- Flexi-time
- Contribution towards a gym membership upon passing probation.
- A generous defined benefit pension scheme
- Options to join the cycle to work scheme
- Employee discounts
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
- This will be discussed with you during the interview stage
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
DAMAR LIMITED
Sabina Adam
Sabina.Adam@damartraining.com
07566 289 979
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000046630.
Apply now
Closes in 17 days (Sunday 23 August 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.