The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

26 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 8, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Your Halton Connection August 2008 www.halton.ca Charting a future career path by Regional Chair Gary Carr Opportunities for Young Entrepreneurs in Halton The Business Development Centre offers programs to help youth in Halton Region explore entrepreneurship, including the Summer Company program and the Ontario Secondary School Business Plan Competition. A Business Consultant is also available to provide resources to area teachers and do in-class presentations. If you are in the market for some landscaping work this summer, swimming lessons, or maybe an evening of entertaining with your very own in-home chef, Halton has a host of new student businesses that are ready and excited to serve you. As participants in the 2008 Summer Company program, these innovative young people have carved out their own path this summer by starting an enterprise and getting a taste of what it's like to be their own boss. Now in its eighth year in Halton, the Summer Company program is hosted by Halton Region's Business Development Centre with our partners at the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services. The program gives youth between the ages of 15 and 29 hands-on business training and invaluable mentoring advice in the start-up of a small business. In Halton, entrepreneurs are the heart of the Region's economy with 88 per cent of private sector enterprises having fewer than 10 employees. We value the contributions of these small and medium-sized enterprises and are committed to providing them with the tools they need to succeed. In 2007, more than 1,400 new businesses were registered through Halton Region's Business Development Centre. Many more registered their businesses on-line using our public computers. Throughout the year, our Business Development Centre provides numerous services, seminars and learning opportunities to entrepreneurs in Halton. We are dedicated to assisting today's entrepreneurs ­ and we are also dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, like the students in the Summer Company program. The program helps to raise awareness of entrepreneurship as a viable career option for youth and allows students to develop entrepreneurial skills, such as creativity, innovation, planning, and the self-confidence to be in charge of their own futures. The students in Summer Company also make valuable connections with members of the local business community who volunteer their time to act as mentors to these promising entrepreneurs. The success of this program would not be possible without this group of individuals. I congratulate each of the students who had the spirit and the drive to take their own path this summer and start a business. I know the Summer Company program will provide them with great inspiration for their future endeavors. To learn more about the students participating in the 2008 Summer Company program and what their businesses have to offer the community, visit www.halton.ca/business. Halton Industry Education Council (HIEC) venture between industry, education and community partners in Halton Region. Committed to enhancing career education and creating the best opportunities for youth, HIEC's programs include a Career Centre, www.apprenticesearch.com, Passport to Prosperity, School to Career and the Halton Apprenticeship Advisory Council. www.hiec.on.ca Bay Area Engineering and Science Fair BASEF is an annual science fair for students in Hamilton, Halton, Brant, Haldimand & Norfolk. http://hwhsef.mcmaster.ca Halton Skills Competition Students from all over Halton gather once a year to demonstrate their skills in a variety of areas, including video production, cabinet making, robotics, www.haltonskills.ca Other Youth and Business Websites: Canadian Youth Business Foundation www.cybf.ca The Canada-Ontario Business Service Centre www.canadabusiness.ca/ontario Back row (from left to right): Max Tarazona, Condor Studios; Councillor Peter Thoem; Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr; Ben Ramirez, Green Blue Landscaping; Kevin Flynn, MPP, Oakville; Ted Northcott, Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services. Front row (from left to right): Adrian Paris, Oakville Music Lessons; Councillor Carol D'Amelio; Courtney Bruce, I-Get-It Tutoring; Teanna Lobo, The Real Estate Assistant; Jen Eldridge, Dynamic Aquatics; Yanicke Parkinson, Yanicke's Tutoring Business; Alex Dubras, In-Home Fine Dine. Absent: Chris Holland, Kustom Technologies. Meetings and Closures at Halton Region Headquarters August 1 Offices closed for Civic holiday August Committee and Council meetings have been cancelled. This page has been donated by this newspaper to communicate important information to Halton residents at no cost to taxpayers. We welcome your feedback. Contact Access Halton at accesshalton@halton.ca