Double Data Skills workshops, organised by Digital Skills Education and Scottish Union Learning, with funding from Data Skills for Work, have been successfully completed with rewarding results and feedback from learners.

Nowadays every piece of technology we use is filled with personal data. Small and automatic actions such as clicking “I agree” on every page we enter influence our feed from that point onward: targeted advertisements as well as our personal data being collected by organisations that we might not actually be comfortable with.

Even dating apps have picked up on the trend of seeing content tailored to our browsing history. One of such apps lets people finish a sentence on their profile: “If you saw my ads, you would think I was…” with people completing the question with most absurd answers that suggest this usage of data by companies can be a hit-and-miss. And yet, how often do we have a feeling that the moment we talk about something out loud, the conversation is immediately picked up by our phones and manifests in a form of an advertisement on a social media platform?

This phenomenon, as well as other vital ways in which one can protect their data, was the focus of these workshops. Divided into two sections - Data Detox and Personal Data Protection, participants had a chance to learn:

• How companies gather and process personal data

• Tips about reducing the amount of data stored about us

• How to “Data detox” web browsing, social media, and phone

• Adjusting settings to share only what we’re comfortable with

• How to store your data securely on laptops, phones, and storage devices.

• How to share your data on secure connections and using encrypted messaging apps

The 60 learners who took part in these workshops were from all over Scotland and worked across multiple sectors from companies like Transport Scotland, Glasgow Life, HMRC Aberdeenshire Council, NHS, Argyll & Bute Council PCS, Stirling Council Libraries Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, Edinburgh College Department for Work and Pensions,Scottish Government.

The workshops provided immediate learning rewards to participants such as “Managing my data online, deleting old Facebook posts easily, stopping annoying adverts”. One of the learners also said that “This is so important not just for me but for raising awareness with our students e.g. a reminder that they can clean up their Twitter and other social media accounts as they move towards the job market might actually be a deal breaker!”

By the end of the session, 98% of participants said they felt more confident about managing their own data and that the course was "Really informative with great content. Daniel and Craig make potentially dry subjects interesting and engaging. Would highly recommend!"

“We were delighted to be able to work with Digital Skills Education and Union Learning to bring these brilliant workshops to such a diverse group of learners. The Data Skills for Work programme isn't about training everyone to be a data scientist, we all need data skills to some degree and everyone can become a Data Citizen - but to do so, it’s essential to have a basic level of data literacy, and that starts with understanding how our own personal data is used and how to protect it. These workshops are a great way to start your data upskilling journey,” said Anna Ashton Scott, the DSW Programme Lead.

Out of 60 learners, 48 said they would be interested in a follow up course.

These workshops were possible thanks to Data Skills for Work’s funding (part of Data Skills Gateway). For more information, visit our Programmes page.