Businesses in Greater Lincolnshire still have time to improve their online skills and enter a competition to win one of three iPad Air 2s!

To be in with a chance of winning, businesses need to register on the Business Lincolnshire E-learning Portal and complete one or more of the free digital courses by the end of March 2015.

Developed by Lincolnshire County Council’s onlincolnshire project, the portal aims to help owners of SMEs in Greater Lincolnshire upskill themselves and their staff. Once they’ve registered on the site, businesses can access hundreds of free courses, videos and factsheets on everything from social media and online marketing to cloud computing and Microsoft Office.

Bryn Davies, Principal Development Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, explained: “As the digital revolution continues to gain pace, it’s becoming increasingly important that business owners are equipped with the skills they need to survive in this competitive market.

“A recent report commissioned by O2 stated that the UK will need more than three-quarters of a million digitally skilled workers by 2017 to meet the digital demand.

“The Business Lincolnshire E-learning Portal is a fantastic opportunity for local business owners and their staff to gain new skills and keep abreast of changes in online technology. Whether they are a small one-man band or a medium-sized business with aspirations for growth in 2015, I am confident it will prove to be an invaluable resource.

“The information will be regularly updated with new and emerging trends and technologies featured alongside the basics. I’d urge all local businesses to sign up free of charge and have a go at an online course.”

The portal has been funded by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Digital Capability Challenge Fund, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Lincolnshire County Council.

For more information on the e-learning portal visit businesslincolnshire.com

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Notes to Editors:

About onlincolnshire

• onlincolnshire is a Lincolnshire County Council-run project which is part-funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013.
• In March 2013, the council signed a £48 million contract with BT to provide superfast broadband to at least 88% of county properties by 2016, with the remaining properties having access to at least of 2Mbps broadband. A further investment of £2.8 million was announced in February 2014 which has increased the number of properties to 89%.
• The contract with BT concentrates on an intervention area of over 150,000 premises where existing or planned commercial roll outs would not deliver superfast speeds.
• The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf
• Some internet users in rural Lincolnshire experience speeds of less than 1 Mbps. The UK’s average broadband speed is 12 Mbps, according to Ofcom.
• onlincolnshire also offers up to 12 hours of support and advice to eligible Lincolnshire businesses to help them make the most of their access to improved broadband. Specialist consultants provide demonstrations, workshops, masterclasses or one-to-one coaching and mentoring to businesses to improve their services, processes, productivity and profitability.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk
01522 528540
@KateStrawson