Compliance is a term used to describe the act of adhering to rules, requests, and orders. Those rules could be imposed by an individual organization, commonly referred to as corporate compliance. Or the rules could be created by governments—regulatory compliance, for example. There are different types of compliance, including compliance with industry standards, compliance with government-imposed or federal standards, compliance with licensing and certifications, compliance with internal standards, and compliance with client standards or other external forces. The rules, which can be simple or complex, are designed to ensure that businesses operate safely and according to local, federal, and state laws.
It's important to learn about compliance to better understand its role in preventing problems, the importance of everyone following laws and regulations, and the way compliance programs can impact businesses and organizations. Every business and organization faces risks, many of which can be better navigated with an effective compliance program. By learning about compliance, you'll be better able to assess risks and implement strategies to protect your own business or one that you work with. You'll better grasp the importance of compliance across all industries and empower yourself to advance your career or to start a new one.
You can get a variety of jobs in compliance, including jobs like compliance assistant, compliance coordinator, government information specialist, and compliance liaison. You'll commonly find compliance jobs in a variety of industries. For example, businesses of all types are subject to regulatory and legal compliance. IT compliance is important for maintaining operational integrity, data privacy, and data protection in our ever-increasing digital world. In healthcare, compliance with federal guidelines like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) governs rules about how medical professionals and insurance companies deal with patient information. In the financial world, compliance is a hot topic, with regulations in place to guard against financial crimes and fraud.
Online courses on Coursera help you learn compliance through a mix of classroom learning and practical experience with applied learning projects to give you skills such as risk management, strategic planning, and organizational behavior. You'll have options to specialize or take individual courses from Coursera's reputable and respected partners, which include IBM, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University. By taking online courses, you'll have the added benefit of self-paced learning, making it easier to fit around your schedule.