Connexions lacks national identity

Jon Richards, national officer at the union, told CYP Now: "There is noco-ordinated identity for Connexions programmes. From our perspectivethere is a lot of criticism around. It's almost open day on blameConnexions."

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

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

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

"When the government handed Connexions over to local authorities theywere told that they had to keep the Connexions brand. But there is nonational understanding of what that brand denotes," he said.

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

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

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