Page 108 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

Careers information centres are one-stop-shop facilities providing
comprehensive support for young people, or a wider target group. These centres
can help young people to make better-informed decisions about education,
training and employment options, building a solid career management skills
foundation.
Young people can access information on a range of different themes:
potential careers; learning opportunities; and financial support schemes. Centre
staff provide support and guidance to identify potential job opportunities, as well
as help filling out application forms and compiling effective CVs. Many centres
also offer counselling and some have adopted a case worker approach to ensure
continuing and comprehensive support for their clients. Some career information
centres have prioritised the provision of psychological support for young people
and their families. Services are normally free and are provided by a range of
personnel, including specialist careers advisors, psychologists, former teachers
and other staff members from community and government agencies.
Careers information centres can be found in Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK. In many countries,
these centres have been established over the past five to eight years, and many
have been jointly funded by the ESF. For example, ESF funding has supported
establishment of over a hundred counselling centres in Czech schools: the
centres bring together school psychologists, special school pedagogies, and
educational counsellors.
One of the more successful and well-researched and evaluated careers
information networks is Connexions in the UK: this has radically changed the way
in which young people are supported during their teenage years. The
fundamental idea behind Connexions is that it works together with other key
stakeholders to ensure a more cohesive approach to the delivery of support and
guidance to young people in their progression towards employment.

Connexions, UK (http://www.connexions-direct.com/)

The Connexions service was established in 2001 by the Department for Education and Skills with
the aim of raising the aspirations, participation and achievement levels of young people by
providing impartial information, advice and support. Connexions centres are formed around multi-
agency partnerships, which bring together the services offered by health services, police,
probation and youth services, agencies working with young offenders and substance abusers,
voluntary and community organisations and careers companies (Joyce and White, 2004).
The target group is people aged 13-19 and 20-24 with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who
are yet to make the transition to adult services. The objective is to help them to make the right
choices by (Department for Education and Skills, UK, 2004):

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