AN Ammanford entrepreneur and business owner has spoken out to ease concerns of students who didn't get their desired grades on A-Level results day.

Coaltown Coffee’s founder Scott James, of Ammanford, left school at 17 with no qualifications but that certainly didn’t stop him.

“When I left school, it was just impossible to find a ‘proper job’ and I had little other option but to volunteer.

"After starting at the National Trust, thankfully they took a chance on me and I soon got a paid job in their events department where I was able to learn valuable skills before branching out on my own Coaltown Coffee was born from little more than a barbeque and parts of a Ford KA but now sells roasted coffee beans to over 200 wholesale customers across the UK."

From humble beginnings in his garage at home, Scott has since opened its vast, iconic roastery space, complete with café and production facility and has now launched the Coaltown Academy.

Realising that sometimes all you need is an opportunity, the Academy launched in January.

Scott added: “We want to give people who aren’t necessarily academic the opportunity to get into the workplace. The Coaltown Academy offers three people a six-month paid for placement where they can learn valuable business skills on the job.”

“In everything we do, we try to take a fresh approach to business. Whether that’s teaching our new recruits about new technologies such as Square to help take payments or showing them valuable customer service skills to use in later life, the Academy teaches everything from coffee production skills to the ways in which the Roastery business is run.

"The idea really is to inspire passion and what better way to learn about business and the working world for the first time than actually on the job. Sometimes all people need is an opportunity.”