
Understand governance, risk, and control as the framework that directs performance and assurance, including the UK Corporate Governance Code, internal audit standards, and controls that enable reporting and informed decisions.
Leadership from the top defines governance, accountability, and internal control, with senior management and board setting the tone, assigning compliance duties, and ensuring issues are escalated quickly and acted on.
Conduct monitoring and testing to verify controls work and risks align with governance and compliance; analyze dashboards and reports to identify root causes and drive staffing and process design changes.
Provide accurate, timely reporting on compliance performance and risk, covering breaches, overdue actions, training status, policy exceptions, high-risk transactions, whistleblowing themes, control failures, and regulatory developments; escalate serious risks quickly.
Learn how a compliance management system establishes standards, enables effective risk identification and management, and supports a company-wide compliance program with clear roles and proactive adherence to regulatory requirements.
Adopt a compliance management system to store, manage, and share data, refine access, and streamline multi-department workflows, minimizing violations and legal risks under PCI DSS, GDPR, and other standards.
Assess the operating environment, legal and regulatory requirements, and organizational history, structure, and culture to implement an effective compliance program that aligns with risk management, governance, and ethics.
Identify, measure, and monitor consumer compliance risks across portfolios and entities, then control risk limits through board-approved policies to align with risk appetite and regulatory changes.
Explore the motivations behind compliance, ethics versus rules, and how deterrence, eclectism, and reputation influence organizational behavior and ethical culture.
Contrasts rules-based compliance with ethics-based programs by showing how corporate counsel designs preventive, detection, and punishment mechanisms while cultivating organizational values beyond illegal conduct.
Leadership and boards set the ethical culture, aligning values with a robust compliance program. Foster fairness, accountability, and responsible decision-making while rewards reinforce ethical behavior to drive lasting cultural change.
Learn how penalties for non-compliance range from simple mistakes to fraud. Discover cross-compliance and GDPR penalties, scheme payment reductions, and the RPA guidance that defines severity.
Explore how international non-compliance triggers penalties for repeated negligence and cross-compliance breaches, with payments reduced by 20%, to 15% or up to 100% for basic payment and rural development schemes.
Explore GDPR penalties and fines for UK and EU residents after Brexit, including up to £17.5 million or 4% of turnover, and €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover.
Strong governance and effective compliance are no longer optional. Organisations across every industry are expected to manage risks, comply with regulations, maintain ethical standards, and demonstrate accountability. Internal audit and compliance professionals play a vital role in making this happen.
This course has been carefully designed to provide a practical and comprehensive introduction to Internal Audit and Compliance Reviews. Whether you are starting your career or expanding your professional knowledge, you will develop a clear understanding of how organisations build effective compliance programmes, evaluate internal controls, manage compliance risks, and improve business performance.
Unlike courses that focus only on theory, this course explains how internal audit and compliance operate in real organisations. You will understand not only what each function does, but why it matters, how it works, and how different departments work together to support good governance.
Throughout this course, you will explore topics including:
• Internal Audit fundamentals and professional responsibilities
• Compliance principles and organisational obligations
• Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC)
• The differences between Internal Audit and Compliance
• Ethics and organisational culture
• Compliance Management Systems (CMS)
• Leadership responsibilities and compliance oversight
• Compliance risk assessments
• Policies, procedures and internal controls
• Training and compliance communication
• Monitoring, testing and reporting
• Issue management and remediation
• Compliance reviews and continuous improvement
Why does this course matter?
Every organisation, regardless of its size or industry, faces compliance risks. Weak controls, ineffective governance, poor documentation, or inadequate oversight can lead to regulatory penalties, financial losses, operational disruption, and reputational damage.
Understanding how internal audit and compliance work together allows organisations to identify weaknesses before they become significant problems. It also helps improve decision making, strengthen internal controls, encourage ethical behaviour, and create a culture of accountability.
These are valuable skills for professionals working in finance, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, technology, education, government, non profit organisations, and many other sectors.
This course explains complex concepts in a clear and practical way, making it suitable even if you have no previous experience in internal audit or compliance. Every topic is presented in a logical sequence so you can build your knowledge step by step without feeling overwhelmed.
By the end of this course, you will have a solid understanding of the principles that support effective governance and compliance, enabling you to confidently understand, review, and contribute to compliance activities within an organisation.
Whether your goal is career development, professional training, or gaining practical business knowledge, this course provides a strong foundation that you can apply across a wide range of industries and organisational environments.