Organisation and Policy: Influencing Public Policy
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At last..…a chance to really connect
A YALP Response to the Governments new Connexions Strategy)
Published February 2000
In the context of the Young Adult Learners Partnership, NIACE and the NYA welcome the Government’s announcement of the Connexions service, as part of its broader Connexions strategy to reach out to all young people and give them the support they need to make the most of the wide range of learning opportunities now available to them. The Partnership particularly welcomes the special attention that is to be paid to those who are hardest to help.
Certainly, these young people need the guidance that Connexions will provide. However, they would also benefit from broader opportunities for personal and social development so that they can acquire the attitudes and attributes as well as the skills, knowledge and understanding they need for adult life. If they are to become independent lifelong learners and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities and the wider world, they need access to informal and experiential learning afforded by activities such as drama, music and all forms of community arts, sports and outdoor pursuits, volunteering activities and multimedia projects. Many young people who are not motivated by formal education provision can be turned on to learning if they are given the opportunity to apply their wit, resourcefulness and creativity to tackle real-life problems.
The Young Adult Learners Partnership has developed a curriculum framework, called Getting Connected, which is designed to develop the emotional as much as the analytical intelligences which most conventional forms of education value. This framework is primarily designed for young adults aged 16 and over and to be used in contexts of informal learning. And the key to unlocking learning for young people through this scheme is a mentor, youth worker or some other form of community educator.
It is therefore no surprise therefore to see the personal adviser as the key player in the Connexions service. The Government policy recognises the central importance of a relationship with a key worker who provides a consistent point of reference and support for the young person as they navigate their way through often extended periods of transition. These ‘journeys’ often entail contact with a large number of agencies and staff which can confuse as much as help the individual and it is important that they have close at hand a guide who can at least help them read the map.
However some important questions of detail are prompted by this initiative. Firstly, if it is intended to draw on the current stock of youth workers, careers advisers, teachers and social workers to form this cadre of personal advisers, who will fill the gaps in services that these professionals leave behind? Secondly, what is the likely caseload to be for each personal adviser. If all young people are reached by Connexions, even if some need only the lightest of touch and most fleeting of contact, each personal adviser is likely to have some responsibility for knowing the whereabouts and circumstances of hundreds each year. Thirdly there is mention of creating a new profession of personal advisers. Is this really necessary? Do we need to set up new occupational standards and a whole suite of new qualifications and training programmes when already we have in the system people with most of the skills required to do the job. There may be the need for some top-up cross-disciplinary training, but surely no need for a whole new system, as some are suggesting. There is no need to set up a national centre for training when there are agencies, institutions and new technology standing by with the requisite resources.
The structure for the new service as laid out by the Government appears sound. The Partnership particularly welcomes the role given to local authorities in contributing to the strategic planning of the service at regional level and the suggestion that they should chair the local management committees which will oversee the delivery of the service at local level. The local authority is the only agency which has such an overview of need and opportunity and is able to bring together the key partners to make the service work where it counts – at community level.
We also welcome the emphasis put on data collection and exchange in order to track what happens to young people who come through the service and note the attention that will have to be paid to matters of confidentiality. However, we would urge the Government to go further and initiate research into the factors influencing young people’s choices, decisions and actions, so we know why as much as whether they stay on track or fall between the cracks. The Partnership stands by ready to find out.
One of the most challenging aspects of the new service, in addition of that of getting staff from different sectors to work together to plan and provide it, is the encouragement to young people themselves to get involved in shaping policies and provision. The proposals recognise the need to establish appropriate structures and processes. However, there is also a need to develop in young people the confidence and skills to make use of them. That is why the Partnership will be establishing a framework for young people to learn and develop the relevant skills and attributes so that they can become active creators of the service as well as recipients of its benefits.
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