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The government's Connexions strategy of building a national support service to ensure that 13 to 19-year-olds engage with learning is largely irrelevant in areas with a chronic lack of employment, according to new research.

The research, carried out by a team from Teesside University, suggested that while Connexions pledges to ensure locally relevant qualifications and training, and to provide a ladder out of social exclusion by breaking the cycle of non-participation, this is pointless if there are no decent jobs available. The research will be published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.