Connect to something better (Connexions Direct)

Member Name: Holidaying

Product:	Connexions Direct
Date:	26/03/09 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Probably good if you're looking for an apprenticeship

Disadvantages: Everything else

Connexions Direct is an organisation that's run by the government to help young people aged 14-19. They say that they offer advice on 'a range of topics' which in practice means health and sex education, money and working.

When I was at school there was not very much careers advice and once when I was out shopping I walked past a Connexions Direct and decided to go in and see if I could get some careers advice.

I walked in and looked around at the leaflets, whilst the staff sat at their desks looking at their computer screens. I thought one of them would approach me but they didn't, so gingerly I walked over and asked if they offered careers advice. I was told that they did not but that they had lots of leaflets and that there were a lot of jobs posted on the board behind me. Of course I had already looked at those things and therefore found the woman to be unhelpful. I went back to the job boards to look at the jobs available. They were all aimed at school leavers and people who wanted to pursue vocational education while working. For example, a lot of the positions were apprenticeships. The pay was appalling (about £1/hour) and the training long. This is not something I would have considered and not what I was looking for- I wanted a part time job while I was at college. There was nothing along these lines. I left, disappointed and with no useful information whatsoever.

About two years later, I ventured back in to Connexions and the person I spoke to offered to make me an appointment to discuss my future, i.e. what work I was looking for. I was very hopeful and agreed to the appointment.

About two weeks later I had my appointment with someone I thought would be like a careers advisor. I got a woman who seemed very bored and uninterested in my future. She asked me about what I wanted to do and I gave her a long list of different things that I could do part time whilst going on to university. Then she left the room to get more information. This was the longest part of the appointment- I sat in the room for longer without her than with her! After probably twenty minutes the woman returned with a lot of leaflets, and said that the best career for me would be as a Bookkeeper, that I had two years of training to do, and that there was a vacancy in a local firm.

I was shocked! She had obviously not listened to a word I said and didn't consider that I had no interest in financial jobs or working with numbers, and probably just wanted to fill the vacancy that they had.

I felt so disappointed after I left and I thought I'd wasted my time going there, especially having had to wait so long for an appointment in the first place.

Since then, I ventured in to Connexions Direct one more time, to look briefly at the jobs board. The person at the desk actually asked me if I needed some help, but I said no because I didn't think they could give any real help. I found nothing in here and left.

Overall, a waste of time for most young people.

Summary: Not recommended