Connexions at a Glance

Connexions at a glance

Contents
What is Connexions
Something for every 13-19 year old
Working together
A new approach
Connexions and young people
Accessing the Service
Young people under 16
Young people over 16
Getting young people into work or training
Wider opportunities through Youth Work
Boosting skills and confidence
Running Connexions
Pooling resources
Giving young people a say
More about Connexions
Connexions Card
Connexions Direct
To find out more...
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What is
Something for every 13-19 year old
Connexions is a new youth service providing advice, guidance,
support and personal development services for all 13-19 year
olds. Through Connexions Partnerships it brings together all
the services that help young people and gives young people
access to a Personal Adviser, someone they can trust.
Connexions is an innovative and exciting development in the world of young people’s
services. It’s about helping young people navigate their way through decisions about
studying, jobs and careers. Through youth work it’s about helping young people get the
personal development opportunities they need to fulfil their potential and become the
active citizens of tomorrow. It’s also about helping those who have problems with drugs,
alcohol, depression, are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Connexions is for all young people helping them to make decisions about their future.
One of the cornerstones of the Service is its staff: well-qualified, passionate and
enthusiastic practitioners, known as Personal Advisers (PAs). Their role is to really get
to know the young person and offer appropriate information and guidance. PAs keep
in close contact with the young people they are supporting. They help smooth a young
person’s path through difficult choices and understand what’s on offer.
If you haven’t come
across Connexions,
it’s probably time
you did!
3

Every young person will have access to a
Connexions PA who will help them:
• realise what they can achieve and support them in
getting there with advice on routes into employment,
training or further education.
• build on strengths and tackle weaknesses.
• address any personal problems.
• explore positive and exciting new ways of developing
talents and interests, for example volunteering, community
projects, the arts, sport or other local leisure activities.
• arrange access to specialist support services, if required.
I became a PA because Connexions seems to be
offering a lot to young people. I’ve had to develop
knowledge and skills very quickly, but it’s coming
along well. Other PAs have different areas of
expertise. The fact that people have come from
different backgrounds is very positive.
Connexions Personal Adviser
Working together
Many young people under 19 will come to Connexions wanting advice about choosing
school / college subjects or about looking for work, training or further education.
Other young people will have problems or barriers to overcome on the way to adulthood.
Connexions can provide access to volunteering opportunities, such as Millennium
Volunteers and youth work activities such as sport, arts, residential and outdoor pursuits.
Connexions is designed to make sure each young person gets what they need or to broker
access to specialists who can provide this. Working and thinking in partnership ensures
Connexions operates seamlessly and is clearly focused on getting results. It combines the
work of different Government departments and their agencies and organisations on the
ground, together with private and voluntary sector groups and youth and careers services.
Connexions is about working together. Connexions will energise young people and
encourage them to believe in themselves, putting them in control of their own learning
and personal development.
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What interests me about Connexions is the ‘joined-up
thinking’ it applies to working with young people.
There was a lack of continuity before - but
Connexions allows you to follow things through.
Connexions Personal Adviser
By having a Connexions PA working as part of our
own staff team we are able to provide a much more
cohesive service for those young people who statutory
services have traditionally found it difficult to engage.
The key thing is that young people are happy to
meet Connexions staff in a familiar and trusted
environment, often when dropping in for an entirely
different reason.
Peter Stacey, Manager, Fairbridge, West Midlands
A new approach
Connexions is all about meeting the needs of individuals and it focuses on what’s
important to young people. Some may need minimal support, others far more.
Connexions sees each young person as unique – a person and not a statistic. Continuity,
too, is crucial to success. Each young person will have access to a Connexions PA
– someone who will work with them. If their PA cannot provide the specialist support
that’s needed, they will co-ordinate the input of a colleague. But no young person will
simply be ‘passed on’ and allowed to slip through the net.
There are about 16 of us working in schools, colleges
and in the community. We draw together all the
different support services for young people and
hopefully help them back into school or college.
Connexions Personal Adviser, Lewisham
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and young people
Accessing the service
Connexions Personal Advisers are based
in places where young people can easily
find them.
• Advisers will be in schools, colleges,
and Connexions centres. They can
also be reached via community
centres and youth work provision.
• Connexions is for all young people,
whatever their situation, whether
they are currently engaged in
education, employment and training
or not. For those who need the most
help, Connexions will reach out to
provide the extra support needed.
• Parents and carers are also
encouraged to get involved and
can talk to PAs face-to-face or on
the ‘phone.
It’s aimed at young people - that’s the
big thing. We don’t normally have a lot
of adults around. It’s their place.
Connexions Personal Adviser, Coventry & Warwickshire
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The young person’s story
I first met L last summer to discuss applying to Higher Education (HE) and HE
research and choices. She made an appointment to see me in October when
she was trying to make sense of the UCAS system – she wanted to continue
with studies to degree level in Biology and Sociology – and UCAS tariff points.
We spent some time looking at all the issues and the research she still had to
do – I saw her frequently at the drop-in sessions and then we met again some
weeks later when she confirmed she had submitted her form.
L came to see me again in March about concerns over her funding. We worked
through the initial form together and then referred her to Moyra in college
who could help her with specific financial queries. She has three offers –
subject to points/grades.
I then saw her again at High Flyers – she was finding out more about
Manchester Metropolitan University. She was very grateful for the help I had
given – no one in her family had been to university and she found it useful to
have someone to drop into and/or discuss issues and queries.
Personal Adviser, Cheshire & Warrington
Young people under 16
Connexions adds to the support already offered by schools staff such as careers advisers
and special educational needs co-ordinators.
In particular, for young people up to the age of 16, Connexions can help with:
• choosing GCSE subject options and vocational courses in Years 10 and 11,
including those outside the National Curriculum.
• addressing problems that may be affecting their performance in school.
• careers guidance after Year 9.
• access to personal and social development opportunities provided by the youth
service and the voluntary sector including volunteering.
It’s funky here. It’ll be useful.
I speak to my Personal Adviser
at school about problems…
she always has something
helpful to say.
Young person, Lewisham
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Young people over 16
Connexions builds on the help schools and colleges already provide for their
post-16 students, particularly targeting young people in need of extra support.
For young people over the age of 16, Connexions can help with:
• choosing career and course options and applying to college/university.
• choosing training courses.
• any personal issues affecting study or progress, including accommodation
or money problems.
• access to wider opportunities provided by the youth service and the
voluntary sector.
The young person’s story
“I was at the Leaving Care Service office and had a New Year’s Resolution to get
on a course as I was on benefit and wanted a good job for the future.
So I spoke to J, my Connexions Personal Adviser, and she told me what I should
do. I needed to improve my maths and English and she told me about this
Connexions course where I would do IT, maths, spelling and so on.
J made me an appointment and I went with her to Careers. At Careers,
C told me what I needed and what extra help I could get. He told me about
several courses but this seemed the best because it wasn’t too big.
At first it was hard work with a lot of people I don’t know. But now I find the
work really interesting and the people really nice. I’m hoping to study business
management so I chose maths and drama. I enjoy every lesson. Before I came on
the course I was just meeting friends every day. I used to walk past all these
people every morning going to work, but I wasn’t doing anything, and I really
wanted to. Now I am.”
A, aged 17, trainee on the Connexions Learning Gateway Course, Islington
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Getting young people into work or training
Connexions places great emphasis on building strong links with local businesses and
training organisations. Advisers can offer good advice and up-to-date information on
getting started in work and will keep in touch with the young person while they are
training - even after they have started work. For young people interested in work or
training, Connexions can offer:
• advice and guidance on choosing the right job or placement.
• information about work-based training.
• tailored programmes of life skills for those who don’t yet feel ready to start
work or training.
I don’t think I would
have got a job if I hadn’t
come here. I wouldn’t
have bothered.
Young person
I need help looking for jobs and training,
advice on areas to go for and how to apply
for them. I’ve done CVs as well, which was
useful as I hadn’t done one before.
Young person, Coventry
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Wider opportunities through Youth Work
The Youth Service, provided through a partnership of statutory and voluntary
organisations, is a key partner in Connexions. Youth work helps young people
realise their full potential by developing a wide range of skills. These include building
self-confidence, relating to other people from all walks of life, developing team work
and leadership skills. This will often involve learning in different and informal settings
and the chance to take advantage of personal development opportunities through
activities such as arts, drama, sports and international exchanges. Youth work also offers
young people the chance to become active citizens through volunteering opportunities
(including Millennium Volunteers) and projects such as youth forums that give them
a chance to get their voices heard.
In Lancashire, the Connexions Company is
owned by three local authorities and the
local Council for Voluntary Youth Services.
That means the voluntary sector is at the heart
of the service for young people. We’re on the
right track with Connexions; it’s down to us
all as a team to make it work now.
Pete Sturgess, Lancashire Council for Voluntary Youth Services
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This is more than networking. It is
appreciating the culture and skills that
different organisations can offer and
drawing on the strengths of each to
deliver a service that will meet the needs
of young people.
Youth Worker, Boston, Lincolnshire
Boosting skills and confidence
Some young people need more support than others. Connexions will identify these
and help them to make the most of their abilities. This involves working closely with
local education authorities, the youth service and others, as well as carrying out its own
intensive outreach work via drop-in centres and through contacts with voluntary groups
and social services.
Connexions will:
• build trusting relationships between young
people and Personal Advisers who come
from a range of backgrounds.
• tailor services to individual needs.
• address personal problems.
• meet young people on their own ground
and bring in specialist support where
appropriate.
• work on the young person’s behalf
to help them get the support they
needfrom other organisations.
• give advice and encouragement on
learning, training and work.
• help them to find work or an alternative
path, staying in touch to give ongoing
support.
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Running
Pooling resources
Throughout England, groups
of organisations have teamed
together to run Connexions as
a partnership. These include
representatives from local
councils, schools and colleges,
youth services, social services,
health authorities, probation
services, Jobcentre Plus and
the police, as well as various
voluntary and community
groups. With the benefit of
this considerable expertise
and experience, Connexions
Partnerships are already up
and running and making
a difference.
The Government is committed
to tackling social exclusion and
has identified education as a
key priority. That Government
commitment means that
partnerships have the resources
they need to make a positive
impact on the lives of young
people.
The Connexions Service is
helping carers and
professionals to raise the
expectations of young
people to pursue further
education and training.
It’s beginning to turn the
Government’s social
inclusion policy into a
practical reality.
Andrea Scott Jones, Head Teacher,
Bents Green Secondary School, Sheffield
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Local government is very supportive of
the stated ambitions for the Connexions
Service. Partnership is right at the heart
of the education service and local
councils are very keen to ensure that
Connexions is a success and to assist
other key players in contributing
effectively to it.
Neil Fletcher, Local Government Association
Giving young people a say
The driving force behind Connexions is
providing young people with what they
want in a format that will appeal to them.
Young people have been closely involved
in setting up the Service and deciding how
it will work. Youth services also play an
important role in supporting and coordinating
the ongoing involvement
of young people.
Young people are now involved at all
levels – as members of Boards of
Governors and of separate Youth Shadow
Boards. They also help to select Personal
Advisers and monitor and evaluate the
Service in action. In Connexions Cumbria,
for example, no fewer than 600 young
people were consulted about what they
want from the Service.
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Connexions Card
Using leading edge smart card technology, the Connexions Card is also part of the
Government’s strategy to encourage and motivate young people to stay in learning after
16. It does this in three ways:
• by reducing some of the financial barriers through giving access to a range of
discounts, for example on public transport, books and stationery.
• motivating young people to fulfil their potential by rewarding attendance and
application at their place of learning through incentives and further discounts within
leisure facilities and on the high street.
• improving the career and life choices that young people make by providing them
with better information through a website www.connexionscard.com
More
Connexions Direct
Connexions Direct is an innovative concept being piloted in the North East of England
and in the Cheshire and Warrington Connexions Partnership area. It is investigating the
use of ICT to deliver a range of services to young people. Like the Connexions Service,
Connexions Direct is for all young people aged 13-19.
The service is exploring the use of telephone, internet and other media such as web chat
and text to provide access to high quality information, advice and guidance as a part of
the Connexions Service. The service is open from 8 am to 2am 7 days a week, with web
access via www.connexions-direct.com
Connexions Direct advisers operate the service. They have been recruited from local
agencies and bring a range of expertise, including careers guidance, housing, health,
drug misuse, welfare and teenage pregnancy. All have undertaken intensive training
to develop call handling skills and learn about different subject areas.
The pilot will be extensively evaluated prior to a decision on the feasibility of
a national roll out.
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about
To find out more…
If you would like to know more about Connexions, or have
any ideas or feedback, please contact your local Connexions
Partnership. To locate your nearest Partnership visit the
website at: www.connexions.gov.uk

Copies of the wording of this text are available in the following languages:
Arabic, Somali, Gujarati, Bengali, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Chinese, Urdu.
Copies of the wording of this leaflet can be made available in
large print, Braille and audio tape, contact details below.
Further copies of this document can be ordered from:
DfES Publications PO Box 5050 Sherwood Park Annesley
Nottingham NG15 ODJ
Tel: 0845 60 222 60 Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Text Phone: 0845 60 555 60 E.Mail: dfes@prolog.uk.com
Please quote ref: CXGL1
Crown copyright 2002
Issued by the Connexions Service National Unit
ISBN: 1 84185 753 X