Businesses across Yorkshire and Humberside are being given the opportunity to improve their relationship with the media through the launch of a new series of public relations training courses.

Press Association Training, the training division of the national news agency for the UK and Ireland, has designed a series of courses for small and medium sized companies to help them understand how the media works and how to use PR to raise the profile of their business.

The Press Association has been training journalists for more than a decade and this expertise and insight is now being offered to organisations outside journalism.

Lecture

Run from the PA Training Centre in Howden, East Yorkshire, the courses cover key areas associated with media relations including effective press release writing, what makes news, how to deal with the press and developing a public relations strategy.

Commenting on the launch of the courses, Tony Johnston, Head of Editorial Training said: “Many small and medium sized companies are recognising the value of and investing in public relations. Press Association Training’s extensive experience of the media can help these organisations maximise the potential for their business.

“These courses are ideal for staff new to PR and employees who take on PR in addition to their day-to-day job.”

Courses are led by former journalist and experienced PR practitioner Andy Drinkwater. Andy has worked at The Sunday Times, The Independent,

Reuters and held senior positions at a range of regional press titles. He was also news-editor at Sky Sports before moving into PR. He was Director of Communications for Victor Chandler Worldwide, an international sports betting and gaming company. He has also worked as a media trainer with blue chip companies including HSBC, Cisco systems and Egg.