OVERVIEW

By definition, youth transitions involve young people moving between school, post-school study and employment. It is a time of flux, as young people try out different school, post-school work and study options. But are those who don’t find work immediately likely to make a poor transition? Given that many may well have a spell out of the labour force, we need to understand when this becomes a risk factor. This briefing paper draws on related research and some primary data analysis to consider whether being ‘at risk ’ is a permanent or transitory state.1 It suggests that, rather than counting the numbers of young people who are detached from work, study or other meaningful activities, we should focus on those who remain disconnected. It is important to be able to identify who may be most ‘at risk ’ of an unsuccessful transition to ensure that targeted and appropriate interventions can be implemented. Young people who accumulate disadvantage through poor literacy and numeracy and who are uninterested in school appear particularly vulnerable. They tend to leave school early and suffer disproportionally in the labour market. If this detachment from work or study continues for an extended period of time, the young person’s inability to develop employability skills and their lack of work experience adversely affect their prospects of future employment. This is detrimental not only to the individual but also to the nation’s productivity. Therefore, programs which help young people to make smoother and faster transitions into further study or employment are important. • As many as a quarter of young people are ‘disengaged’, in that they are not in full-time employment or study at some time between the ages of 15 and 24 years. However, most of these young people do not view this as a permanent state, indicating they have plans to enter full-time work or study. • A third of young people from the LSAY Y95 cohort aged 18–19 years in 1999 (typically the year after completing Year 12) experienced at least on