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

Hello and welcome to the October edition of Warwickshire Means Business.

The second Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival is fast approaching and I am pleased to say that Warwickshire County Council will be hosting three excellent events as part of the Festival.

The Skills Gap remains an enduring challenge for businesses large and small and that will be the focus of our Tackling Skills Shortages event at Eliot Park Innovation Centre, Nuneaton, on Thursday November 22nd (8.45am-1.30pm).

Our Economy & Skills Team, and Business Skills Advisor Fay Winterburn in particular, works constantly to offer business advice on how to recruit the people they need and this will all be showcased at this event.

Among subjects discussed will be apprenticeships, a concept to which Warwickshire County Council retains a longstanding commitment. Since 2012 the Council has recruited more than 200 apprentices; 75 per cent of whom were retained at the end of their apprenticeships and 96 per cent of whom went on to positive destinations in employment or education. Apprenticeships really do work brilliantly both for apprentice and employer alike and in this edition of Warwickshire Means Business you can read about their impact on the Council today and, in particular, in the very important area of Children's Social Care.

Our two other events at the forthcoming business festival will focus on this region's buoyant rail sector. On Wednesday November 21nd (9.30-11.30am) we will host a Rail Innovation Showcase at Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Long Marston and on Thursday November 29th the 'Supply Train: Get On Track' event at Eliot Park Innovation Centre, Nuneaton, will supply information for businesses interested in accessing rail-related opportunities.

I would recommend all these events as great opportunities to find out about the support we offer in those areas. For businesses in the field of low emission vehicles, meanwhile, here is another date for the diary. On Thursday October 25, we will jointly host the Greenfleet Business EV User Event at Stoneleigh Park. This promises to be a fascinating, in-depth look at the next generation of ULEVs such as electric cars and vans and also explore potential avenues of funding support.

I hope you find the time in your busy schedules to attend and enjoy those events - and I hope you enjoy this edition of Warwickshire Means Business.