Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Apprentice (Salary - £30,283)
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.
Role
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
Training
- Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship standard
- This will be discussed with you during the interview stage
- Apprenticeship Standard
- Data protection and information governance practitioner (level 4)
- Training Provider
- DAMAR LIMITED
- Working Week
- 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.
- Expected Duration
- 1 Year 7 Months
- Positions Available
- 1
- Closing Date
- Sunday, 23rd August 2026
- Start Date
- Wednesday, 14th October 2026
Desired Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Qualifications
- 5 x including English and maths GCSE, grade A* - C (Essential)
- 3 x A-Levels A Level, grade A* - C (Essential)
About the Employer
OFFICE OF THE INDEPENDENT ADJUDICATOR FOR HIGHER EDUCA
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.