New government website to
help education leavers as they look at taking the next steps
With the impending
GCSE and A Level exam results and 300,000* students graduating
this summer, Directgov, the nation’s official website for
citizens, is launching What’s Next. The new resource from the
government is for education leavers and their parents and can be
accessed at: www.direct.gov.uk/whatsnext.
The new initiative is a central source of easy-to-understand
information and guidance on a range of topics relevant to young
people looking at their options after finishing education. The
website covers higher and further education, training, financial
support as well as practical advice for those looking for jobs.
This is a joint initiative between the Department for Work and
Pensions, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and
the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The What’s Next
campaign will be further supported by a TV and radio campaign,
which launches on the 8 August featuring the voice of Mighty Boosh
star, Julian Barratt.
Tony Singleton, Chief Operating Officer at Directgov, said:
"All parents want to ensure their children get the
best start to their independent, adult lives. In order to help
parents feel informed, so that in turn their children can make
confident decisions about their futures, parents need to
understand all the options that are available."
For requests or for more information on Directgov’s role please
call the Directgov team at 3 Monkeys Communications on 020 7009
3100 or email Directgov@3-Monkeys.co.uk
*According to BBC figures released on 10 January 2009
Notes to editors
- Directgov is the Nation’s official website and provides
user-friendly, 24/7 information on all government services –
including education, transport, tax, crime, the environment,
employment – all in one place and in plain English.
- As well as being available on the website www.direct.gov.uk, which now
attracts up to 18 million visits a month, it can also be accessed
on any internet-enabled mobile phone, and on TV.
- In June 2009, the site received its 250,000,000th visit.
- www.direct.gov.uk is a
Hitwise Top 10 Award winner for the quarter ending October -
December 2008. During this period, www.direct.gov.uk ranked No. 2
based on market share of visits among all United Kingdom websites
in the Hitwise Government - Central industry category. For more
information, please visit www.hitwise.co.uk/
- Please note: Directgov is spelt as one word and with a lower
case ‘g’.
Contacts:
Helen Beckett.
Phone: 020 7829 3817
helen.beckett2@directgov.gsi.gov.uk