BUSINESSES can now ensure its not a case of "us against the machines" through free courses from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber is helping companies prepare for the ever-increasing technological nature of business by teaming up with its new patron member Mercia Digital to offer an Introduction to Digital Marketing & PR course to its members.

Mercia Digital, which specialises in brand development, website design and search engine optimisation, will bring its extensive experience, built up through work with a strong portfolio of clients, to aid local businesses with a range of regular courses held in conjunction with the Chamber’s established training department.

Suzanne Boddy, Chamber training executive, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Mercia Digital and increasing our training offer to local businesses. These new courses are filled with insightful and invaluable content, and I would encourage all members to take advantage of the free introductory course.“

The courses will be led by Ben Feltwell, co-founder of Mercia Digital, the sister company of leading digital marketing specialists AlphaQuad, where Mr Feltwell previously worked on numerous digital campaigns for a variety of household brands.

In addition to the free Introduction to Digital Marketing & PR course, the first of which will take place on Thursday ,February 26, the digital-based training offer at the Chamber is being increased with the addition of specialised courses covering search engine optimisation, Google analytics, e-mail marketing, running your business using cloud technologies and effective social media.

For more information on course content or to see a full list of Chamber training courses visit http://hwchamber.co.uk/training or contact the training department on 0845 641 1641