Help for young people in Years 12 & 13
How Connexions can help
Your son/daughter can speak to their Connexions Personal Adviser (PA) for help/advice with their career ideas and post 18 choices.They can find their PA at their school, college or nearest Connexions Centre.
If you would like more help, get in touch with you son or daughter’s PA. Our PAs can meet and talk to you about any questions or concerns you may have. They can see you at your son or daughter’s school, at your local Connexions Centre, at parents’ evenings, options evenings and career events. Personal Advisers provide free, friendly and impartial information, advice and guidance about any issues that may affect your son or daughter.
During the Year 13 ‘Results Day’ period, Connexions Personal Advisers are on hand at schools and colleges. We are there to provide information, advice and guidance to any young person who may wish to re-evaluate their next steps based on their exam results being better or not as good as they’d been hoping for.
We continue to contact young people up to the age of 19 (or up to 25 if they have a learning difficulty or disability) to make sure they are on track with their plans for the future. We may contact them by telephone, text, letter or, where appropriate, home visits. If we get in touch with your son or daughter, please encourage them to get back to us - we might have found that very opportunity they’ve been looking for.
How you can help
- During Years 12 and 13 your son or daughter will have important choices to make about whether to continue in learning or enter employment. Below are some tips on how you can help your son or daughter decide what to do next:
- Are they thinking about continuing in education after Year 13?
Do they know what they want to study and where they can find a course? Encourage your son or daughter to visit the Young People's 'Years 12 & 13' section of this website - it has lots of information for young people who’re considering Higher Education – from choosing and applying for a course, to cash facts, university life, and life after HE. Your son or daughter may also like to visit www.ucas.ac.uk and try the Stamford Test. This is a free tool that asks a series of questions and then suggests subjects that would suit your son or daughters interests. - Are they interested in starting an Apprenticeship?
A good place to start looking for an apprenticeship opportunity is www.apprenticeships.org.uk. Vacancies are regularly updated on the site. Employers may also advertise apprenticeship vacancies in local or national newspapers. If your son/daughter is unable to find an employer to take them, they could enrol on a training course – their Connexions Personal Adviser can help them. - Do they want to get a job?
Are they hoping to enter a career with good long-term prospects? Encourage your son or daughter to talk to their Connexions Personal Adviser about local job opportunities. We can also provide help with job search, CV writing and interview skills.
