Welcome from assistant director (communities) Mark Ryder

Hello and welcome to the final edition of Warwickshire Means Business in 2018.

It has been a year dominated by Brexit and the uncertainty surrounding that issue has certainly not helped businesses, so it is all the more impressive that Warwickshire's economy remains strong.

That is testament to the depth and breadth of expertise and innovation across many sectors in this great county. Every business, big and small, across Warwickshire helps to power the economy and sustain our communities and that our economy remains buoyant is something of which every business should feel proud.

In Warwickshire we never rest on our laurels though, and here at the WCC we continue to do all we can to support businesses in a variety of ways.

In this edition of Warwickshire Means Business we unveil the date of the fifth annual Warwickshire Skills Conference - Wednesday March 6th, 2019. This is always a superb event, attended by many prominent businesses and education leaders, and it promises to be more relevant than ever next year as businesses continue to tackle the skills gap amid the additional uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

Our skills team, along with our partner organisations, is constantly addressing the skills gap with businesses. One such initiative is the production of a list of skills leads in school and colleges throughout the county for business to consult to find the best young recruits.

There is a lot going on - please do get have a look at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/skillsforemployment to see how we can help you.

A great way to keep right up to speed with developments, opportunities and upcoming events within our business community is, of course, Warwickshire Means Business. I am delighted to say that this month WMB has passed the 500,000 hits milestone and it is great to know that it is so well-viewed and valued.

If there is a story or subject that you think we should cover in an edition during 2019, or if you would like to contribute a guest column, please do get in touch at brianhalford@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2019 to all.