How did the transition from compulsory education to work change during the 1990s and which types of transition policies worked best? The experiences of 14 OECD countries are examined in this volume to address these two key questions, for as requirements for knowledge and qualifications and skills rise and populations age, few countries can afford to have their young people enter the labour force unequipped for longer term participation in changing career patterns.

Taking a broader view of transition outcomes than many previous comparative studies, this study reveals the complex and many-faceted national institutional arrangements that can result in successful transitions to working life. It argues not for single solutions or models, such as the adoption of apprenticeship, but for coherent national policy packages that draw from a limited number of key success ingredients: a healthy economy and labour market, well organised pathways from initial education to work and further study, opportunities to combine study and workplace experience, safety nets for those at risk, effective information and guidance systems, and policy processes involving both governments and other stakeholders.

It also looks at the ways that countries are trying to lay solid foundations for lifelong learning during the transition phase through changes to educational pathways and institutions and through adopting more learner-centred approaches to teaching and learning.