This paper attempts to provide an overview of the main features of education and training pathways in Australia and the policy challenges they give rise to.

This paper reports on a pilot project investigating the effectiveness of an innovative education program in reengaging homeless people in inner city Sydney.

Youth exclusion is widespread and increasing across Europe. Information and communication technology (ICT) has the potential to serve as a gateway to social inclusion. However, computer and internet access of marginalised young people are limited. Alternative methods to approach them through ICT are needed.

This paper analyses the link between young people’s sense (locus) of control over their lives
and their investments in education. The authors find that young people with a more internal locus of
control have a higher probability of finishing secondary school and, conditional on
completion, meeting the requirements to obtain a university entrance rank.

The Teaching and Learning Modules in this book provide a practical way forward for schools to broaden their awareness and develop an informed and grounded understanding of the nature of Australia as a culturally diverse nation. In addition to enhancing students’ understanding and sensitivity towards cultural diversity, the Teaching and Learning Modules impart valuable skills.

For young people, the decisions made during the transition from school to continued study or full-time employment can have long-term implications. These can be for the young people themselves and their community, as well as for industry and governments, with significant health, welfare, and national productivity implications. During this period of transition, continued participation in formal skill development, learning and employment can be particularly important.

The National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions aims to increase the educational engagement and attainment of young people and to improve their transition to post school education, training and employment through immediate, concerted action supported by broader long term reform.

This paper was presented at the National Higher Education Student Equity Forum, Canberra, September 2003. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research has concentrated on pathways taken by young people and on relationships between outcomes and various background factors. Two reports have examined participation in higher education among the Youth in Transition and LSAY cohorts, and they have identified SES in different ways. These reports form the basis of the present paper.

This paper summarises current information on educational participation and retention in Tasmania relative to other Australian States and Territories, and to countries overseas. The trends and statistics presented provide background and benchmarks against which to consider the education/training participation targets set by Tasmania Together, the long-term strategic plan for Tasmania. The paper also summarises the many factors which influence participation outcomes, and which need to be taken into account in designing programs to improve these outcomes.

This paper is based on research carried out at two Senior Colleges in the state of New South Wales in Australia, both aimed specifically at providing re-entry opportunities to complete senior secondary education. Findings are drawn from interviews with students and teachers, observations and documents. This study contributes to challenging conventional policy discourses in relation to the concept of youth transition by focusing on a non-typical cohort of young people.