Help

Although My Steps is mainly a website about learning choices and your journey to the world of work it may be that you need other help first before you can make these important decisions. This could be immediate help because of a problem you are experiencing either at school or at home, or perhaps something else? Young people often experience the same issues as adults such as those around money, sex, health and relationships. It is usually a good idea to try to work through these things with support rather than deal with them on your own.

You are still able to gain help from Connexions until your 20th birthday, though this is extended to 25 if you have learning difficulties or a disabilty. As you are legally an adult from the age of 18 there are also a range of adult services that can help you depending on what you need support with. If these needs are health-related you may need to see your GP for a referral, if they are to do with things like money, housing and benefits you could contact your Northumberland County Council and if they are to do with finding training or work try your local Jobcentre Plus. If you're not sure who can help you could visit your local Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB).

Jobcentre Plus advertises job vacancies for over 18s. Such jobs may also be advertised by Connexions but often their vacancies are for the younger age group and you would not have the same number and variety of jobs. Jobcentre Plus can give you individual guidance on your job seeking needs, help you with benefits advice and provide access to an electronic jobs database from which you can find out about jobs not only locally but all over the country. Many over 18s looking for work will visit the local Jobcentre Plus on a regular basis, or will log onto Direct.gov to try out the online jobseeker facility.

Once someone has decided on the learning route that suits them and gone through all the important things like qualifications, skills and qualities needed to go for that route, two of the most important issues tend to be about money and transport; can you afford to continue learning and what about the cost and method of travel? It may be that you are leaving school to go to college or into training, or maybe you are moving to another school for 6th form. In these cases you may need financial support and you may have to consider a lengthy journey.

Some people prefer to help themselves and, given the right information they can quite happily make their own decisions. My Steps is mainly there to help you work out what, where and how you want to learn or find work. So if you want to start thinking about these things yourself why not use the links opposite?