Connexions

The Connexions Service aims to give all young people the best start in life.

You can access information, advice and guidance from Connexions through a Connexions Personal Adviser at your school or college.

You can also access Connexions online and at drop-ins and Connexions access points.

What Connexions does

Connexions is there to help you:

• find education, training, and work
• find voluntary or personal development opportunities
• develop your skills, especially those related to work and training

Connexions can also help you access a huge range of services offering help on other issues that may be affecting your life, such as:

• Health, including problems with drugs and alcohol (yours or someone else's)
• Needing to spend a lot of time caring for someone else
• Money, especially getting money for training or study
• Problems at home, homelessness
• Problems with sexual health or pregnancy
• Getting into trouble

You can access connexions at your school, local Youth Centre or Connexions Centre

Or talk online to advisers at Connexions Direct

Crucial: Connexions also helps young people up to age of 25 if they have learning difficulties.

Experience: help with getting work

I used connexions at the Witney branch and had some brilliant help from Howard. I finished school last year but was confused on where to go from there, I didn’t want to go to college as I preferred to learn whilst in a job. Howard helped me through the rough times of getting a job and advised me to take evening courses in college which I took part in. Months went past but I didn’t give up, I regularly went to Howard to keep him and I updated, then I had an interview with a company for the role of trainee office administration work and I love it! The colleagues are really helpful and I have learnt a lot! It was really interesting how time passed by from being at school preparing for exams to finishing school and being in an office based environment. I have found and learnt a lot about working and I really enjoy it! I would like to say thanks to Howard for the brilliant help and willingness to help me succeed. With his help I am now a full time office employee and learning to become a sales advisor. - Boshra, 17

Experience: help with difficult choices

My friend told me about her Connexions PA so I went to see him. I was sleeping on her floor at the time, and I was pregnant. I needed help because my manager at work wanted me to leave, and I needed that job to support my baby. My PA got me an appointment with Face2face [Youth Counselling Sevice] so that I could get some counselling about the pregnancy. He told me that I would have to get a letter from my parents so that I could get accommodation as homeless. They had to say that they wouldn't house me and the baby, but I hadn't told them about the pregnancy. In the end I decided to have an abortion. I'm back home with my parents and they are pressurising me to get a job. My boyfriend is still upset because of the termination. I'm glad I have my PA to talk to. KF, Oxford

Find it

Looking for somewhere you can get information, advice and guidance around careers, choices, study, jobs and education ? Find your local Connexions Centre or Access Point.

Links

These websites will help you find information advice and guidance around careers and choices online:

• Oxfordshire Prospectus
  Oxfordshire's dedicated website listing course options for young people aged 16+
• Connexions Direct
  All the information and advice you need to make the decisions and choices in your life
• UCAS
  Your connections to Higher Education

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