A NEW integrated youth service at Bournemouth Borough Council will be offering employment advice following the closure of Connexions.

The current service, based in Christchurch Road, will be closing its doors at the end of March after the council’s contract with service provider Ansbury came to an end.

But parents and young people in the borough are being reassured the same careers advice will be available to them through the council’s in-house service, with the ten Connexions employees being transferred.

Ian Finley, programme leader in children’s learning and engagement for the council, explained that from September a new education act meant schools would be responsible for careers advice for pupils aged 14 to 16.

He added: “Staff at Ansbury have the opportunity to transfer to the council where they will be highly welcome because that team has been good at what they do.

“When they come in, the first priority between now and October is to establish business as usual.

“After that we are going to look at the service and see how we can integrate it better with the rest of the youth service.”

Mr Finley said the new service, which will be called Bournemouth Connexions, would be run from Bournemouth Learning Centre in Ensbury Avenue with staff going into local colleges and youth centres to work with young people.

He added: “A lot of young people will not be deemed “work ready”.

“The current service helps personally or by referring to other agencies. We can to that a lot more tightly now.

“We have managed to secure a reasonable level of funding over the next few years to do this.”