Connexions lacks national identity

Jon Richards, national officer at the union, told CYP Now: "There is no co-ordinated identity for Connexions programmes. From our perspective there is a lot of criticism around. It's almost open day on blame Connexions."

Richards said the main criticisms facing Connexions staff are connected to poor provision of information, advice and guidance (IAG). He blamed this on the government's relentless focus on reducing the number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neets).

Connexions services transferred to the control of local authorities in April last year.

Allister McGowan, chair of the Institute of Careers Guidance, said that there has been no coherent national vision since the transfer.

"When the government handed Connexions over to local authorities they were told that they had to keep the Connexions brand. But there is no national understanding of what that brand denotes," he said.

McGowan warned that IAG had been marginalised because Connexion's performance targets only relate to reducing Neets.

He said the government's forthcoming IAG strategy, which is due to be published before Parliament's summer recess, would go some way to improving things, but warned that the strategy may not include new targets for Connexions.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said that Connexions works in partnership with a wide range of agencies, and is not solely responsible for reducing Neets.