Rebecca's role is the perfect outlet for her passion to help her community

"Everyone has been so welcoming, not just within WCC but at the districts and boroughs and our partners. It’s been really refreshing.”

Rebecca Corr has a passion for the public sector and a desire to help her local community - so her role within Warwickshire County Council’s Business & Economy team is a perfect fit.

As Contracts and Projects Monitoring Officer, Rebecca’s mission is to help small and medium-sized businesses access the broad range of business support available from the County Council and its partners.

It is a role which requires diligence, knowledge and attention to detail – and it is one to which Rebecca is well-suited after more than a decade working as Business Manager for a primary school in Windsor.

“I really enjoyed working within a school,” she said. “I did anything and everything bar the curriculum and teaching the children-HR, Health & Safety, office management. I was heavily involved in finance and budget-setting and was quite successful at applying for small grants, so have plenty of experience of those processes.

“The school was a lovely environment, but I was ready for a new challenge. Schools are under so much pressure; I was spending a lot of time trying to save the school money at any opportunity. But I really enjoy working in the public sector so when we moved to Warwickshire I knew I wanted to stay there and felt I had a lot of transferable skills to bring across. I became a School Governance Professional for the County Council, and still do that part time, supporting the governors at Brookhurst Primary School Leamington, and Warwick Nursery.

“Then the job of Contracts and Projects Monitoring Officer came up and I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to support small and medium-sized businesses, within my local community. One of the things I love about Leamington is the friendliness and spirit of all the independent shops, cafes and restaurants and to be able to support those businesses, and similar ones all over the county, through our business support is a lovely thing to be part of.”

Rebecca’s move to Leamington brought her back closer to “home.” She grew up locally, before heading to the University of York from which she graduated with a degree in Chemistry with Industrial Management.

Now at the council she has a bulging in-tray as she helps navigate small businesses through six schemes: Warwickshire Business Start-up Programme; Warwickshire Business Resilience and Growth Programme; Business Ready; Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service; Warwickshire Manufacturing Growth Programme and Project Warwickshire.

That’s a busy gig but she still finds time, alongside looking after two young children, to study for an AAT accountancy qualification. And get running!

“I’m learning to be a runner and have signed up for the Regency 10K in April,” she said. “And we are trying to renovate our house – so lots of DIY skills are being learnt."

“There’s plenty going on but that’s the way I like it and I am so pleased to be part of the Business & Economy team at WCC. Everyone has been so welcoming, not just within WCC but at the districts and boroughs and our partners. It’s been really refreshing.”