CONNEXIONS: Good practice guide for rural areas addresses mobilityissue

The Implementation of Connexions in Rural Areas has been produced with The Countryside Agency and it will be unveiled at a Connexions conference on 28 October.

Access to services and transport, isolation and deprivation are the main issues highlighted in the guide. The need to transport young people to and from school reduces their availability for after-school activities and training courses. Some partnerships have set up moped schemes to help teenagers become more mobile.

Connexions personal advisers working with children in areas of low population density have also widened the age range beyond 13- to 19-year-olds.

The guide highlights good practice being carried out by rural partnerships such as Connexions Cornwall and Devon, Connexions Somerset, and Connexions Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole.