Connexions Birmingham

National survey finds that one in three schools has no plan to deliver careers advice

2012-02-23T11:43:00.000Z

“Children & Young People Now” is reporting that a third of schools are yet to decide how to fulfil their new duty to provide careers advice for pupils, and changes to Connexions services have adversely affected four out of five schools across the country. Ths is based on a survey by the Institute of Career Guidance (ICG).

From September, schools will have a legal duty to “secure access to independent and impartial” careers guidance for pupils. Schools will be free to decide how to meet the new duty, but will not receive additional funding to pay for careers guidance, which has until now been funded by local authorities.

The ICG survey questioned 238 schools on how they are preparing for the changes. Asked what provision they plan to put in place from September, 8% said they intend to either do nothing, or refer pupils to websites and other online services, while one in three said they were yet to decide.

Almost everyone in the survey believes that face-to-face guidance is “very important” or “quite important”, but less than half said their school is planning to purchase impartial career guidance services from external careers guidance providers or independent careers advisers.

Nationally, the changes to Connexions services have adversely affected four out of five schools, half of which said they now have a “reduced” or “seriously reduced” careers service for pupils. A further 13% said careers guidance services for pupils have ceased completely since the changes to their local Connexions.

Here in Birmingham, Connexions is proposing that from April 2012 we continue to deliver a free careers information advice and guidance service to young people in schools who have learning difficulties or disabilities or who are in other vulnerable groups. Schools in Birmingham may also meet their new legal duty by purchasing additional careers information, advice and guidance services from Connexions Birmingham.

Connexions is changing

2012-02-23T10:16:00.000Z

From April 2012 onwards, Connexions Birmingham will be changing quite a lot. On our website we have a “Connexions is changing... for young people” page where we try and explain what’s going on and how it will make a difference to people who have used Connexions Birmingham before. We’ll update this page whenever we can add some new or more detailed information so it’s worth checking back there from time to time.

Why is all this happening? Why are you changing things?

There are two reasons:

The law has changed. From September 2012 it becomes the responsibility of schools to make sure that their pupils get impartial careers information, advice and guidance. Up until now this has been the role of Connexions.
As part of the City Council, Connexions Birmingham needs to make budget savings for next year (2012-2013).

Looking for a job? Connexions Birmingham can help...

2012-02-10T08:30:00.000Z

Job available straight away:
Office Assistant (Architect's office) (Job with training)
Jewellery Quarter
Ref: 50180
Salary: National Minimum Wage
Want to know more? Go to Job Search and other opportunities on our website for full details of this and other opportunities for young people — or call in at your nearest Connexions Centre.
[Connexions Birmingham helps young people aged up to 19 (up to 25 if you have a disability) with our range of selected job vacancies. On our website, you can search for a locally-selected range of Apprenticeships, and jobs with or without training, plus part-time or temporary vacancies. These opportunities are a representative sample of what is available in the current jobs market.]

National Apprenticeship Week: 6-10 February 2012

2012-02-01T12:53:00.000Z

Apprenticeships give you the chance to start work, learn skills and gain qualifications.

Come to Broad Street Connexions Centre during National Apprenticeship week to find out more about the opportunities available locally. From Monday 6 February to Thursday 9 February, each afternoon between 1pm and 5pm there will be a range of local learning providers at the Connexions Centre, for you to find out more about the Apprenticeship opportunities they currently have available.

You can also find Apprenticeship vacancies by using our website’s Job Search page, or from the National Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching service at www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Are you a parent of a young person?

2012-01-31T11:21:00.000Z

We’ve just updated our online information which helps parents of young people understand what’s happening in their son/daughter’s life. You’ll find information, useful links and guidance about how YOU can help them. All the information is also available in handy downloadable weblet form. There are Parent Guides for:

Aged 16-19 and looking for a job, training or Apprenticeship?

2012-01-25T11:43:00.000Z

Come along to our
OPPORTUNITIES EVENT
WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2012
Drop in between 11am and 2.30pm at the BROAD STREET CONNEXIONS CENTRE

Your chance to talk to a range of providers, with opportunities in Construction, Retail, Hair & Beauty, IT, Sport, Childcare, Admin, Motor Vehicle and many more...

Want to attend? Ask your Personal Adviser for more details, or just come along on 25 January! It’ll be great to see you there...
And to thank you for coming... you’ll receive a bus token to help in your opportunity search AND you’ll be entered in a prize draw with the chance to win High Street Vouchers.

Thought of a career in Nursing?

2012-01-23T10:01:00.002Z

Birmingham City University is recruiting right now to its BSc (Hons) Nursing programmes (Adult, Child, Mental Health and Learning Disability fields) which start in April 2012.
Visit their Nursing Open Day on Saturday 4 February (10am–3.30pm) to find out more. Details about the Open Day and more are at www.bcu.ac.uk/aprilstartnursing or call 0121 331 5595. BCU’s Faculty of Health is also at www.facebook.com/bcuhealth

Connexions in Birmingham needs to change — have YOUR say!

2012-01-11T10:47:00.001Z

We need to change from April 2012, because of changes to the law about careers guidance, and because Birmingham City Council needs to save money.
WE WANT YOUR VIEWS on the service that we will provide from April onwards — so please fill in OUR ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE (it’s quick and anonymous). [Survey ended - link now removed]
The survey closes on Friday 27 January 2012 so please have a look soon. We'll publish the results here and on our website in early February. Thank you!

Closure of Kings Heath Connexions Centre

2012-01-09T11:06:00.001Z

We are having to close the Kings Heath Connexions Centre.
The last day of opening will be Friday 13 January 2012. After then, the staff will be based at the Northfield Connexions Centre. If you want to visit Connexions Birmingham, please go to Northfield or any of our other Connexions Centres.

Christmas and New Year opening hours

2011-12-20T11:18:00.000Z

If you’re planning to drop in and speak to someone at Connexions Birmingham over the holiday period, please note our holiday opening arrangements:

Up to and including Friday 23 December: normal opening hours
Monday 26 December: all offices closed
Tuesday 27 December: all offices closed
Wednesday 28 December: drop-in service at Broad Street Connexions Centre only (1pm–4pm)
Thursday 29 December: drop-in service at Broad Street Connexions Centre only (1pm–4pm)
Friday 30 December: drop-in service at Broad Street Connexions Centre only (1pm–3.30pm)
Monday 2 January 2012: all offices closed
Tuesday 3 January onwards: normal opening hours

What Next ? - Event Follow up

2011-12-19T15:17:00.000Z

The what next? events which took place on 20 October and 3 November were a great success and appreciated by all those who attended.

The idea of the events was to help young people with LDD and their families find out about the range of support and provision available to help young people with LDD make a smooth transition to adult life. It was also an opportunity for those of us who support young people to update our information on the services that are out there.

We had nearly 30 different exhibitors at each event, including Mencap, Adult Social Care, various FE colleges and training providers, Carefirst, Autism West Midlands and many others.

Well over 300 people attended the events including a large number of young people, some of whom were brought by their school or college.

The feedback we received showed that people really valued the events. Young people reported that they didn’t think there was anything we could do to improve the event. When asked how useful they found it, 94% rated it Good to Excellent and the majority said they would come to a similar event again.

For most parents and carers, having the range of organisations and agencies available under one roof was what they valued. They felt it was useful to be able to talk to the professionals on the stands and collect a range of information to take home and look at.

There were a few comments saying that people felt the event helped them to put the decisions they were trying to make into a wider context, while others mentioned the presentations and workshops as the most useful part of the event.

Connexions Birmingham was one of the organisations that were specifically mentioned as being helpful. 100% of the parents/carers and professionals who completed the feedback form said that they would recommend the what next? event to others.

Professionals also valued the networking opportunity provided by the event. The professionalism and enthusiasm of the people on the stands was particularly commented on. Some professionals brought young people with them to the events and commented on how it helped them to understand what the young person was interested in and exploring options.

Once again Connexions Birmingham was specifically mentioned as being helpful. When things are difficult for us it is good to be reminded that what we do is valued and appreciated by the people we work with and running an event like this helps to demonstrate that to others.

Grateful thanks to all of those who helped make the events such a success.

How the new Education Act 2011 changes the way we work

2011-12-05T14:30:00.002Z

Whether you are a young person still in education, a professional working in education, a parent, an employer or a young person seeking employment or training, your views on these changes and how we should shape our new service from April 2012 are important to us.

Connexions currently has a statutory duty (one laid down by law) to provide Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to young people from the ages of 13 up to 19 years ( 25 years if a young adult has a learning difficulty or disability).

The service is delivered in partnership with schools and other learning providers as well as through drop in centres around the city.

The new Education Act 2011 will change the way that careers information, advice and guidance (CEIAG), is provided for young people. These changes will take place in schools from September 2012.

Department of Education guidance to schools advises that from September 2012, they will be responsible for ‘securing access to independent and impartial careers guidance for pupils in years 9-11’. This change moves the statutory responsibility for careers education, information, advice and guidance undertaken by Connexions and places this responsibility onto schools. Connexions is currently exploring with schools what services they may require in the future to help them provide professional, impartial CEIAG for their pupils.

Department of Education guidance also recommends that ‘schools work in partnership with local authorities to ensure vulnerable young people receive the support that they need’. This recommendation means that from April 2012, Connexions will focus on providing a targeted service to pupils in schools and other young people not in education, employment or training.

Already a new National Careers Service (NCS) offers web and telephone based information and advice, with limited face to face advice for young people who are over 18 years , mainly through Job Centre Plus.

As a service, we have been through many changes and many names over the last 35 years but have always kept the delivery of an impartial careers information, advice and guidance service central to the service we offer.

The passing of the Education Act 2011 is by far the most significant change we have come across during this time. The new Act targets the support available from Connexions towards vulnerable pupils in schools and other young people who have left school and who are not in education, employment or training.

Feel free to comment below. Your suggestions and views will be fed into the consultation process.

Want to know what you can do after Year 12/13?

2011-12-02T11:37:00.001Z

We’ve just updated our webpage on Year 12/13 Options for 2012. It tells you about your main options, where to get advice, and how to find out more.

Voice Is Power — Birmingham’s Young People’s Parliament

2011-11-14T12:04:00.001Z

Voice Is Power is the formal citywide forum for children and young people in Birmingham. It is for anybody who lives in Birmingham and is under 19 years old.

VIP aims to stand up for all Children and Young People, and to link views together. There are lots of ways for you to share your views and get involved.

They are supported by key decision makers, so your views can influence decisions and changes. Find out more at www.vip.bham.org.uk.

Teenage magazines in Birmingham’s public libraries

2011-11-10T12:08:00.003Z

Did you know that many libraries in the city have teenage magazines which you can borrow? Each library has chosen its own titles depending on the interests of the young people in the area. So whether you're mad on football or music, fashion or computer games you may well find something there for you...

Why not tell them which magazines you’d like to borrow by filling in the form at www.birmingham.gov.uk/teenagemagazines? Your comment will be sent to your local Birmingham library and will help to inform staff when they are choosing magazine subscriptions.

Want to know more about Birmingham’s great public library service, or find your local library? Go to www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraries

FILTER - a new way to find things to do...

2011-11-10T11:39:00.002Z

FILTER is a new website for young people in Birmingham. www.filter.me.uk is all about things going on in Birmingham. Search for events and get details of hundreds of activities, projects and showcases for arts, sports and heritage, all across the city.

In Year 8 or 9 and thinking about your options choice?

2011-11-07T10:28:00.000Z

In Year 9 you will be making a choice about which subjects to study in Years 10 and 11. At some schools, you may be making these choices in Year 8 and then studying your chosen subjects from Year 9 onwards. You will need to choose which GCSE subjects you want to take and, depending on what your school offers, you may have a choice of other courses as well. There are some compulsory subjects that you have to study and other optional subjects that you can take because you enjoy them or need them for your career plans. You’ve got some important decisions to make, but you’ll also have lots of help and support to make your choice. Our website has a complete section on Year 8/9 Options and it has just been fully updated — take a look at how it can help you with understanding your options, finding out more, and making your decision.

Common Purpose Young Million Workshops

2011-11-07T09:59:00.000Z

Saving a generation of young unemployed talent in Birmingham

There are nearly one million unemployed young people in the UK and from August 2010 to August 2011 youth unemployment in Birmingham rose by 2,052 to 15,291 bringing the percentage of young people who are unemployed to 24.7%. This is the highest percentage of any city in the UK.

There are many initiatives that exist to help unemployed young people find a job, yet few that offer the training and development opportunities they would have received from employers, if they were in work.

This is why international leadership development organisation Common Purpose has started the Young Million campaign , to offer some of the unemployed young people of Birmingham, and across the UK, the same opportunity to develop their leadership skills as those who have a job.

Within two days of sharing the idea with 30,000 of their alumni in the UK, Common Purpose had raised enough donations to run the first two workshops.

Sir David Bell, non-executive director of The Economist, said:

“The rise in youth unemployment shames us all and could potentially damage the UK economy. But there are concrete things we can do to stop this awful waste of young talent and young lives and we must do them.”

Louise Teboul, Midlands Operations Director, said:

“Birmingham has one of the youngest population profiles of any European city, so this is a really critical issue for the future success of the city. This has really touched a nerve with our Common Purpose alumni in Birmingham and they have been very generous with their time and money, so we’re really pleased that we can launch our first Young Million course in Birmingham. We hope that it will make a real difference to some of our unemployed youngsters.”

The workshop will run on three separate days, 23 November, 30 November and 8 December, and can take up to 50 participants. Each applicant should be:

Aged 18-25 at date of application
Currently unemployed and not in full time education
Actively looking for employment
Resident in the United Kingdom

Applicants must have the desire or potential to be a leader. They can demonstrate this through their family, community, work or academic achievement, through current activities or responsibilities and community roles, or through nomination from a friend, family member or colleague.

Common Purpose are still seeking donations, both financial (£100 will fund one young person to take part) and in-kind (venues and speakers).

To donate or apply, visit Young Million: Common Purpose
email youngmillion@commonpurpose.org.uk
or contact Common Purpose on 0121 625 3269.

For further information please contact:
Louise Teboul or Heather Truepenny
Operations Director Senior Course Manager
T: +44 (0)121 625 3269 T: +44 (0)121 625 3269
M: +44 (0) 7961 556 378 M: +44 (0) 7961 556 378

E:louise.teboul@commonpurpose.org.uk
E:heather.truepenny@commonpurpose.org.uk

Achieving Against the odds

2011-11-02T13:44:00.001Z

Cities for Active Inclusion held a conference about employment for Young People on the 5^th of October.

Two of the young People, that Connexions Birmingham have helped, delivered a presentation form their point of view about what worked and what didn’t. They ( Nathaliea and Letitia) stole the show with their honesty, humour and directness.

There were a lot of delegates from all over the country and from public, private and third sector -- all with a stake in improving employability and employment opportunities for young people. In that respect it was quite tough, but I think we gave a good account of what we do and how we do it.

Key points from the young people:
They benefit from professionals who 'stay around' - ie sustained and consistent service.
They need more opportunities to do work experience.
They need to feel its ok try things out - ie don't be afraid to fail.
Young people should be encouraged to create their own opportunities - ie be innovative (the Princes Trust is a key player in facilitating this)
The apprenticeship minimum wage is not a living wage if you live independently ( my 'in-work calculation' slide was a triumph! )
The job centre and current benefit system does not enable young people to better themselves or get out of the benefit system.
Lack of internet access is a real problem for many YPs from vulnerable groups.
YPs want more opportunities to find out about different types of work and see what's out there.
YPs have a lot of good skills in communication, leadership and team work (social networking and the recent riots were given as examples) . These skills need to be acknowledged and channelled into EET opportunities.

A recurring theme that came out through out the day was a general feeling that institutions, organisations and agencies are not moving quickly enough to change: 'Act, think, behave differently' . This is why the problems with youth unemployment and under achievement (particularly with vulnerable groups) does not go away. It was suggested by a delegate that if practitioners and service users had a part in the decision making things might change more quickly.

"what next?" event returns

2011-10-05T16:00:00.002+01:00

After a break of eight years 2011 will see the return of the what next? events that were run between 2000 and 2003.

For the last two years the Transition Group of Birmingham City Council have run Information, Advice and Guidance events aimed at young people with LDD, their families, friends and professionals who support them. The events provide an opportunity to find out about the range of support and provision available to help young people with LDD make a smooth transition to adult life.

This year Connexions Birmingham is taking the lead in organising these events with support from the Disabled Children’s Team and we have taken the opportunity to link the events to our established what next? publication.

This autumn there will be two events:

Thursday 20 October from 1.00pm to 8.00pm
The Saffron Centre
256 Moseley Road
Birmingham B12 0BS
Thursday 3 November from 3.00pm to 8.00pm
Carrs Lane Church
Carrs Lane
Birmingham B4 7SX

We are expecting a wide range of organisations, agencies and services to exhibit at the events including:

• Children’s and Adult Disability Teams

• Voluntary organisations

• Supported Employment Services

• Local colleges with supported learning courses

• Training providers

• Organisations supporting independent living

Schools have already had some initial information about the events and flyers are being sent out to all young people in Years 9 to 14 who have a statement. A supply will also be available to area teams so that you can pass them on to other young people who you think would benefit from going to one of the events.

The events are also a great opportunity for you to update your own knowledge of the options and support for LDD clients.

Following feedback from schools, the event on 20 October is going to start at the earlier time of 1pm so that groups of young people can attend the event and get back to their schools before the end of the school day.

There are also going to be workshops at both events, which visitors can attend to find out more about transition planning and services that support transition.

Beyond 16

2011-10-05T13:28:00.000+01:00

Beyond 16 is our guide - online, in print and downloadable PDF - to help you make decisions about what to do when you finish Year 11. It has just been completely updated and revised for young people who will finish Year 11 next summer. It covers the four main options available to you when you leave school:

taking an education course at school or college
joining an Apprenticeship programme with an employer
starting a Foundation Learning programme at school, college or with a work-based learning provider
finding a job, ideally with some training provided

You can get Beyond 16 through the Connexions Birmingham website.

Higher Education Myth Busting Materials

2011-10-03T15:36:00.000+01:00

We’ve been working with Aimhigher to develop some Higher Education myth-busting materials, which are now live on our website:

A new HE myth-busting web page for young people is live
A new parent/carer HE myth-busting newsletter and parent/carer web pages
A HE myth-busting Powerpoint presentation for professionals

Also, our revised LMI World of Work webpages are available for more information about the Labour Market, covering topics like:

What is Labour Market Information (LMI)?
How can LMI help me beat the recession?
World of work headlines
Local job trends
What are employers looking for?
Building your skills and experience

Introducing our blog...

2011-07-11T11:59:00.001+01:00

This blog is one more way that young people in Birmingham (Great Britain) can get messages from Connexions Birmingham - and post us responses, queries, whatever. Please remember that our main source of online information remains our website - go to www.birmingham.gov.uk/connexions and then select “Connexions web”.