Welcome from Monica Fogarty, joint managing director, Warwickshire County Council

Hello, and welcome to the August edition of Warwickshire Means Business.

Much of this edition focuses on the work that Warwickshire County Council does, along with our partner organisations, to support young people and equip them for their careers ahead.

Our Skills for Employment team works constantly with employers and education-providers to help them to equip young people with the skills they need to pursue rewarding careers and, at the same time, make a positive contribution to their employers and the county economy.

A Skills for Employment grant has helped students at Exhall Grange School set up a thriving cafe. This story illustrates the skills possessed by students with learning disabilities and the very positive impact which they can have on a business. Another shining example of that is the contribution of Natasha Hope at the British Forces Resettlement Service, one of the many thriving small businesses at our Centenary Business Centre in Nuneaton. Please read about Natasha's  role here.

This is an important time for students with exam results just out and this makes it a time of great opportunity for employers looking to recruit young talent. We have plenty of that in Warwickshire! With the GCSE grade system altered this year, we have a produced a special feature explaining the changes.

Apprenticeships are a key part of the Skills for Employment Strategy and at the County Council we 'walks the walk' on apprenticeships by employing 33 ourselves, with more to start in the coming weeks. They make a huge contribution to many departments across the Council, an example of which of is James Wixey in County Fleet Maintenance.  

Meanwhile, a major element of our business support programme is our 'Loans and Grants' scheme which has now supported more than 100 businesses. One of those is ITP Group, a longstanding success story in Rugby and we are pleased to have supported them as they continue to expand.

The 'Loans and Grants' scheme has so far supported 101 businesses with funding worth more than £2.7 million, which has levered private sector investment of a further £2.6 million to stimulate the County's economy.

Warwickshire is achieving great progress and I thank each and every one of you for your part in this. I hope you have had a great summer and have had a chance to take a break to recharge the batteries, which is so important - and I hope you enjoy this edition of Warwickshire Means Business.