Risk and Compliance Training and Development Program
Training Scenario
Every organization is guided by a set of laws, rules, and regulations which aim to oversee ethical and fair operations. Organizations strive to adhere to these laws and regulations relevant to their business in order to avoid legal penalties, material loss and financial forfeiture (Ali et al., 2009). Regulatory uncertainty can significantly influence a company’s performance in both local and global markets. At the turn of the century, governments took the responsibility to protect consumers and organizations against bad management. Due to the increasing volumes of personal and sensitive data stored and disseminated through vulnerable media, regulatory laws on privacy, information security and accountability have increased. The increased prominence of regulatory compliance has even led to the creation of chief and corporate compliance positions in various industries including IT. Mostly, IT companies rely on professional and technical advice that may not be in accordance with the law (Ali et al., 2009). Employee training is therefore needed in order to minimize liability and risks such as legal penalties. IT experts need to be familiar with the present legal environment including legal orders, regulations and directives that guide international standards and best practices.
Target Audience
This training program targets the following groups;
- IT and information security employees, managers, and consultants, as well as consultants.
- Senior managers and employees responsible for the planning and implementation of IT compliance strategies.
- Vendors, distributors and service providers.
The total capacity of the program is 15 and it will be offered on Friday 10and Saturday 11, August 2018. This will minimize interruptions with daily duties. The training, which will be held at the company’s conference hall, will be facilitated by the International Association of Risk and Compliance Professionals (IARCP). The trainers will facilitate the trainees in understanding and applying the rules and regulations in their operations. Participants will be motivated to learn through the provision of training allowances.
Needs Analysis
Government regulations in the IT industry increase each day due to the increased processing, dissemination and storage of data (HG.Org, n.d.). It is therefore important for organizations to keep track of all the existing and new policies and ensure that employees are knowledgeable concerning the topic too. Firsthand knowledge of the Information Technology law is required, which is the legal framework surrounding the collection, dissemination and storage of electronic information in the marketplace. Participants should understand software licensing issues to avoid legal pitfalls that may arise from rushed agreements with inadequate analysis of terms. Privacy breach has significantly increased in the IT sector therefore raising security issues (HG.Org, n.d.). To avoid such problems, participants should be aware of the procedures required to safeguard digital information such as using the service of auditors. Trainees are also required to understand the issues surrounding electronic signature laws that require organizations to convert conventional paper signature documents to electronic forms. These laws include the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act – UETA and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act – ESIGN.
Participants should be able to recognize practices that expose them to potential compliance risk by using the service of an information technology lawyer. Lastly, trainees are required to be informed about the existing compliance laws and their application. These include Information Technology Law, Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Health Information Privacy (HIPAA), Judiciary Information Technology Fund, Paperwork Reduction Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Ali et al., 2009).
From the performance evaluations submitted by managers, most employees have little knowledge concerning compliance laws and the risks they face in case of violations. The feedbacks from the questionnaires indicate that participants struggle to keep pace with the changing and increasing consumer laws. While there are numerous technologies and regulatory standards to combat cyber attacks, employees find it difficult to implement them to effectively prevent threats. Most employees are not aware about the existence of the compliance office and the contacts. This becomes hard for them to access professional help on compliance issues at the company despite the availability of compliance standards booklets.
While some employees are aware about the current compliance policies, they have insufficient knowledge on how they apply and their legal implications. A section of employees also feel that there is need to increase compliance awareness and provide intense training to help them understand the policies to avoid compliance uncertainties in their practice. Lastly, the employees expressed the issue of high costs of regulatory compliance. Besides investing in compliance training and technologies, budgeting for the compensation of compliance officers consumes more resources.
Training Objectives
- To provide trainees with firsthand knowledge of the information Technology policies and regulations surrounding the collection, storage and dissemination of digital information.
- To inform participants about the company’s compliance leaders and the compliance helpline.
- To educate trainees on software licensing issues to ensure effective licensing contracts.
- Teach the participants the procedures required in safeguarding digital information including the use of auditors.
- To train employees on electronic signature laws.
- To highlight specific practices and their compliance-related risks.
- To improve the effectiveness of the compliance department by encouraging anonymous reporting of cases of compliance violations
- To improve the services of the compliance department by being responsive on issues surrounding compliance policies.
- To encourage participants to report cases of compliance violation and assuring them protection against retaliation.
- Help employees understand individual compliance policies including the new ones and how they are all applied.
Training Program Design
How long will the training program be?
The training program will last for two days and the sessions will begin from morning to evening.
Will there be one or more training sessions?
The intended training program will only happen once.
Will those who facilitate the training be internal or external facilitators?
I chose to use the external facilitators of the program due to the company’s impressive profile. The International Association of Risk and Compliance Training (IARCP) is a certified provider of training programs on risk and compliance. Furthermore, the company’s in-house compliance team lack the require resources for effective training.
Where will the training program be held?
The training program will be held within the organization in the conference hall. The location is convenient because it is easily accessible by all participants.
How will learners be motivated to learn?
Those who will attend the training will be provided full meals from morning to evening to ensure they are comfortable while learning. Furthermore, they will receive training allowances for the two days.
Who is the intended audience for the training?
The training targets compliance managers, employees, consultants and auditors. The training will also feature vendors and distributors of the company.
References
Ali, S., Peter, G, & Parent, M. (2009). The Role of a Culture of Compliance in Information Technology Governance. Proceedings of GRCIS 2009. Retrieved from ceur-ws.org/Vol-459/paper8.pdf
HG.org, (n.d.). Information Technology Law. Guide to IT Law. HG.Org Legal Resources. Retrieved from https://www.hg.org/information-technology-law.html