Editorial: Connexions Card fiasco can't be repeated

Youth minister Beverley Hughes said in a statement on Friday that the card, conceived in 2001 as part of a three-pronged Connexions offer to young people, alongside partnerships and Connexions Direct, is being scrapped due to the establishment of education maintenance allowances and opportunity cards.

The idea of the Connexions Card was that young people would gain points in return for staying on in learning. But an independent report released last year by York Consulting showed that the card engaged just 3.7 per cent of the 16- to 19-year-old target audience, with a measly 0.8 per cent redeeming five or more rewards. Most of these were sixth-formers, not hard-to-reach young people. The policy foundation for the initiative was never clear enough to specify proper outcomes.