§ Mr. PriorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what will be the role and responsibilities of(a) personal advisers, (b) learning mentors and (c) Connexions advisers in the Connexions Service; and to whom each will be contractually accountable. [125865]
§ Mr. WicksThe document "Connexions: The best start in life for every young person" published in February this year contained information on the role and responsibilities of the personal adviser working within the Connexions Service. We have started work on developing the new profession for personal advisers and this week we aim to publish the consultation document, "Connexions Service: Professional Framework for Personal Advisers—proposals for consultation" asking for views on the profession. This document outlines proposals for a comprehensive training programme which aims to ensure that personal advisers have the appropriate skills and knowledge for the role and meet agreed standards for the profession.
Learning mentors work alongside teaching staff and are responsible for helping pupils to overcome barriers to learning both inside and outside the school. They are employed in schools covered by the Government's Excellence in Cities initiative and report to the headteacher or a member of the senior management team. Learning mentors are available to all secondary age pupils who need them and they devote the majority of their time to those individuals needing extra support in order to realise their full potential.
We will be asking for Connexions Partnership to include in their proposals information about which organisations will employ personal advisers. We expect some personal advisers will be employed directly by the Connexions Service, some will be seconded from partner organisations and some will be employed by organisations which hold a subcontract or franchise for the delivery of some Connexions services.