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Connexions Northumberland Scoops National Award

Connexions Northumberland, the organisation that provides impartial information, advice and guidance to young people, is celebrating its recent success in the prestigious National Career Awards. These are presented annually by the UK-wide Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) for excellence in careers guidance. Connexions scooped the top prize in the category “Working with employees and trainees in the workplace” for its innovative tutor training programme. This equips teachers and lecturers with the necessary knowledge and skills for supporting young people to make choices about their future. It also has the added benefit of enhancing the working relationship between teaching staff and Connexions personal advisers.

The award winning Connexions training team (from L to R) Gill Naylor, Paula Benton and Caron Pearson with Chairman Trevor Jones and Chief Executive Austin Mcamara.

The training programme is part of the highly successful Tutoring for Transition project, which aims to improve the quality of support given to young people as they move through and beyond the education system.  The award owes much to a successful partnership between Connexions Northumberland, the Learning and Skills Council (who funded the project) and the 14+ Network, (who co-ordinated it). It is also a tribute to the commitment of all the high schools, Northumberland College and Northumberland Training Agency.

Austin McNamara, Chief Executive of Connexions Northumberland, said:  “I am extremely proud that our work has received national recognition. The tutor training programme has not just been well received here in Northumberland – it has also been adopted in many other areas of the country. This is a significant feather in the cap for Northumberland.”

The award was presented at a ceremony on Friday 10 November, as the climax of the annual ICG Conference in Glasgow.

Further details of the award, including the judge’s positive comments, can be found at www.icg-uk.org/trainees2006.html.