If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been tasked with achieving ISO 27001 compliance. Whether it’s your first time or you’ve been through it before and found it overwhelming, you’re in the right place.
Balancing real security with ticking compliance boxes is no easy task—especially with looming deadlines and a long list of requirements to meet. ISO 27001 is a major undertaking, and while accreditation matters, your Cyber Awareness Training Programme shouldn’t just tick a box. It needs to drive real behavioural change and strengthen security where it counts.
Control 6.3 of ISO 27001, which focuses on Cyber Awareness Training, is where many organisations find themselves stuck. It’s not just about running an annual training session or sending out policy reminders. Compliance demands a structured, ongoing approach—one that’s tailored to job roles, regularly updated, and fully documented. Simply put, if you can’t prove it happened, it didn’t happen.
So, how do you ensure your Cyber Awareness Training meets the requirements? More importantly, how do you make it effective rather than just a box-ticking exercise?
In this blog, we’ll break down exactly what ISO accreditation expects for Cyber Awareness Training and show you how to build a programme that meets compliance, keeps employees engaged, and stands up to an audit.
By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to compliance—and a security-aware workforce that actively helps protect your organisation.
Let’s help get you ISO27001 certified!
Understanding Control 6.3 of The ISO27001 Accreditation: What Does It Actually Require?
ISO27001 Standard Control 6.3 is clear in its expectations:
“Personnel of the organization and relevant interested parties shall receive appropriate information security awareness, education and training and regular updates of the organization’s information security policy, topic-specific policies and procedures, as relevant for their job function.”
In simple terms, this means Cyber Awareness Training isn’t optional—it’s a requirement. Every employee and relevant third party must receive training that is appropriate to their role, ensuring they understand security policies, best practices, and their responsibilities in protecting the organisation.
Key Elements of Control 6.3 For ISO27001 Framework
- Computer Security Training for employees must be ongoing, not a one-off exercise. Employees need regular updates, not just an annual security briefing. Threats evolve, and awareness training should keep up.
- It applies to all personnel and relevant third parties. This includes full-time employees, contractors, and anyone with access to your organisation’s information assets. Everyone plays a role in maintaining security.
- Training must be tailored to job roles. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. Employees in IT, finance, HR, and customer support all face different security risks and need training that’s relevant to their responsibilities.
- It must align with security policies and procedures. Training should reinforce your organisation’s information security policy and topic-specific policies (such as data protection, access controls, and incident response). Employees should not only be aware of these policies but understand how to apply them in their day-to-day work.
- Meeting this requirement means implementing a structured, role-specific, and regularly updated training programme that employees engage with. But also, auditors can verify.
How to Build a Cyber Security Awareness Training For Employees That Works—and Passes the ISO27001 Audit
A strong Cyber Awareness Training programme is about genuinely reducing security risks across your organisation. Control 6.3 of ISO 27001 requires training to be relevant, ongoing, and well-documented, meaning a generic, one-size-fits-all approach won’t be enough.
To help you not only pass the audit but also build a programme that actually enhances security awareness, here’s what we recommend.
- Step 1: Define Your Audience & Training Objectives for CyberSecurity Awareness Training
Cyber threats don’t affect every department in the same way. The risks faced by an IT administrator handling access controls are different from those of a finance team member processing payments, or a customer service rep handling sensitive customer data. Training needs to reflect these differences.
Start by mapping out:
- Who needs ISO27001 training? Tailor content to each role’s specific security risks.
- What policies and regulations apply? Ensure training aligns with business risks, security policies, and compliance requirements.
- How often should training be delivered? Consider onboarding, annual refreshers, and just-in-time updates when new threats emerge.
When employees see that training is relevant to their daily tasks, they engage with it. If it’s just generic Cyber Security advice, they’ll tune out.
- Step 2: Choose the Right Training Security Awareness Methods For ISO27001 Controls
The biggest mistake in Cyber Awareness Training? Making it dull. If employees are clicking through an e-learning module just to get it over with, the training isn’t working.
A strong programme mixes different formats to keep engagement high:
- Interactive workshops – Hands-on training sessions where employees can ask questions and apply what they learn.
- Phishing simulations – Real-world tests that teach staff how to spot and avoid email-based threats.
- Online courses – A flexible option for delivering core security principles at scale.
- Security bulletins & micro-learning – Short, digestible updates on emerging threats.
Using real-world case studies and incident debriefs makes training stick. People remember stories more than slides full of policy text.
- Step 3: Schedule Regular Updates & Awareness Initiatives
Annual training alone isn’t enough. Employees need ongoing awareness to stay sharp. Threats evolve, and so should your training.
Best practices for keeping Cyber Security top of mind:
- Frequent refresher sessions – Monthly or quarterly updates on key security risks.
- Just-in-time training – Quick training when new threats emerge (e.g., a spike in phishing attacks).
- Security awareness campaigns – Internal comms, posters, and company-wide security reminders.
- Step 4: Track, Measure & Verify The Effectiveness Of Your Cyber Security Training For Staff
Just because employees attend training doesn’t mean they understand it. Control 6.3 requires proof that training is effective, which means tracking participation and testing knowledge.
How to measure effectiveness:
- Assessments & quizzes – Confirm employees have absorbed key lessons.
- Phishing simulations – Measure real-world responses to cyber threats.
- Incident response drills – Ensure teams know how to react when security events occur.
- Feedback loops – Collect employee input on what’s working and what’s not.
Documentation is critical. Auditors will want to see records of who was trained, what they learned, and how frequently training is updated. A learning management system (LMS) or security training tool can help keep everything organised.
With the right approach, your team won’t just pass the ISO 27001 audit—they’ll actively contribute to a stronger, more resilient security culture.
Passing the ISO27001 UK Audit for Control 6.3
Every three years, you’ll face an ISO 27001 audit. When that time comes, you don’t want to be scrambling for paperwork, digging through old emails, or realising too late that a key training record is missing.
So, how do you breeze through your audit instead of stressing over missing records? Here’s what you need to have in place.
Pro Tips for ISO27001 Certification Audit Success
Run an Internal Review Before the Audit
Don’t wait until the last minute to realise you’re missing training records. Conduct a pre-audit review to check:
- Are all training logs complete and up to date?
- Has every employee received the required training?
- Is there evidence of ongoing security awareness efforts?
Keep Records Centralised & Easy to Access
Auditors don’t want to see a last-minute scramble for paperwork. Store all training records, policy updates, and assessments in a centralised system, such as an LMS or document management tool. When everything is in one place, you’ll be able to provide evidence instantly.
Demonstrate Cyber Awareness Beyond Formal Training
The best audits happen when security isn’t just something employees learn—it’s something they live. Go beyond compliance by showing:
- Security updates and discussions in team meetings.
- Leadership actively reinforcing security best practices.
- Incident response drills that test how well employees apply their training.
When Cyber Security awareness is a continuous, documented process, passing the ISO 27001 audit becomes effortless. More importantly, it ensures your organisation stays protected against real-world threats—not just compliance checklists.
Cyber Security Training For Employees Done Right
Control 6.3 of ISO 27001 isn’t just another compliance requirement—it’s a crucial step in building a security-aware workforce that actively helps protect your organisation from cyber threats.
If you’re working towards ISO 27001 accreditation, don’t let Cyber Awareness Training become an afterthought. Start implementing a structured, trackable programme now—one that keeps employees engaged, meets compliance standards, and strengthens your security posture.
Need help building a compliant Cyber Awareness Training programme for ISO27001? Equilibrium Security is here to help. Get in touch with our team today.
📩 enquiries@equilibrium-security.co.uk | 📞 0121 663 0055
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