If your New Year’s business resolution is to improve your digital knowhow, onlincolnshire has launched a new series of free masterclasses and workshops for 2015 designed to do just that.

Whether you want to make better use of social media to raise the profile of your business or drive more people to your website through search engine optimisation, onlincolnshire is offering a range of full-day and half-day courses.

All businesses are welcome to attend for free but must book in advance as places are limited. To ensure as many companies as possible can take advantage of the free workshops they will be held at venues across the county in Louth, Gainsborough, Sleaford, Lincoln and Spalding.

The first event of the series will be part one of a two-part Internet Marketing Masterclass at the Brackenborough Hotel in Louth on 27^th January. The second part will be at the same venue on 3^rd February.

Cllr Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development at Lincolnshire County Council, explained: “The internet offers a wealth of opportunities but many businesses are still not making the most of them as they are struggling to stay up to date with the latest advances in technology.

“The council is keen to support local firms and help them compete on a level playing field in their sectors both in the UK and abroad. In today’s technology driven world a lack of digital skills can put businesses at a disadvantage and prevent them from reaching their full potential.

“These courses are free and delivered by experienced trainers who are experts in their field so it’s well worth finding the time to come along.”

As well as learning more about the internet, delegates will also be able to benefit from up to 12 hours of free support which includes one-to-one business advice and consultancy.

The courses are open to all businesses and are part of a wider programme of support across Lincolnshire and Rutland being run by onlincolnshire which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The full schedule of events is available on the onlincolnshire website at http://www.onlincolnshire.org/broadband-for-business/events

To book your free place please call 0300 80 80 120 or email onlincolnshire@lincs-chamber.co.uk. You can also follow @onlincolnshire on Twitter and www.facebook.com/onlincolnshire or visit the website www.onlincolnshire.org

Ends

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.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk
01522 528540
07733 230293
@KateStrawson