Careers adviser/personal adviser : Training

Training varies according to qualifications and experience on entry and is decided by each Connexions  Service or local authority partnership.

• Entrants who already have relevant professional qualifications and experience will need to complete some core units from the NVQ level 4 in Learning Development and Support Services (LDSS) as defined by the Department for Education . This involves compilation of a portfolio of evidence, combined with work place observations;
• Inexperienced graduates from relevant courses, such as the QCG, will need to undertake a wider range of units from the LDSS, which will vary according to qualifications already held;
• If you join without relevant qualifications, generally as a trainee personal adviser (PA), you will need to complete the full NVQ level 4 LDSS.
• In addition, PAs also have to complete training in assessment, normally called the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

Each careers partnership decides its own mandatory training for new entrants, which is likely to include data protection, child protection, equality and diversity, dealing with difficult clients and any other training requested by the overseeing local authority.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is expected and careers partnerships offer seminars and workshops in-house and externally, often in conjunction with other agencies.