Geological Survey of Finland strengthens the expertise of its personnel through tailored data protection training – “The training was carried out on schedule and with seamless cooperation”

When data protection training is tailored to an organisation’s day-to-day activities, the operating practices are more likely to become well-established. Practical examples that are relevant to the participants’ day-to-day work help them identify situations in their own work where they need to take data protection into account.

Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) is a research institute governed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. It operates in Finland and internationally. GTK is one of the world’s leading geoscience research organisations, and its services rely on independent research expertise. The aim is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral world.  

Netum delivered in-depth data protection training for GTK to improve the data protection and information security proficiency of personnel handling personal data and to ensure that correct practices and procedures are used when processing personal data.  

According to Apollonia Kinnunen, Human Resources Specialist at GTK, the organisation observed indications of the need for data protection training in several different contexts, including an impact assessment carried out for a certain system.  

– “We sent a request for proposal to a few suitable providers, and Netum’s proposal offered the best value for money among the ones we received. The content of the proposal was clear and aligned perfectly with our needs,” Kinnunen says. 

The training was tailored to the customer’s wishes and implemented as a three-hour remote training course.

Practical examples add a concrete dimension to training

The participants in the training course included representatives of the organisation’s HR function and financial administration, as well as executive assistants and supervisors. The training covered the identification of risks related to personal data and information security breaches, and how to respond to them. The participants also learned about the secure processing of personal data across different work environments and situations, including AI-related considerations.  

– “Practical cases used by the trainer to add a concrete dimension to the training were particularly beneficial. The examples were selected from the realm of public services, which is an operating environment GTK is familiar with,” Kinnunen explains. 

For Kinnunen, trainer Sanni Harju’s highly engaging style of delivery was a memorable aspect of the training. 

– “It was clear that she has strong expertise in the subject and a good grasp of the public services perspective in particular. She applied her expertise specifically to our needs and knew how to present the content in a way that was engaging and interesting,” Kinnunen adds. 

Netum’s data protection course for GTK was delivered by Senior Data Protection Consultant Sanni Harju. Over the years, she has accumulated experience from a number of data protection training courses.  

– “Understanding data protection is extremely important, especially in critical environments. Instead of the dry recitation of legal clauses and articles, we prefer to focus on actively engaging the participants and highlighting practical examples that are relevant to the target group,” Harju says.

– “Even though data protection issues are rooted in regulation and its application, we think it is important to maintain a touch of humour throughout the training course. That makes the heavy subject matter a little bit lighter and more digestible. This has been proven to strengthen the participants’ retention of what they learn,” Harju concludes. 

Kinnunen is pleased with GTK’s cooperation with Netum.

– “The training was carried out on schedule and with seamless cooperation. Our needs were incorporated into the training plan, and its implementation was precisely tailored to our requirements.  

GTK is committed to maintaining and developing its expertise in the future. The entire personnel will complete online courses on data protection and information security at specific intervals. Highlighting the subject in internal communications is also a priority for the organisation.