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The OECD's 1998 interim report, 'Transition from initial education to working life' (final report indexed at TD/TNC 64.124), defined the following eight features as appearing to contribute to successful transitions from initial education to working life: Learning pathways and qualifications frameworks; Learning in real work settings; Provision of a broad range of general and vocational skills; 'Youth friendly' labour markets; Safety nets and reintegration; Information and guidance; Effective institutional frameworks; and Monitoring tools. This report takes each of these eight features and reports on their status in Australia in late 1999. It examines Australia's status against the eight features defined by the OECD, identifies opportunities for improvement, and suggests further strategic policy and structural developments. The report concludes that while Australia can be proud of its achievements towards creating an environment that supports the successful transition from initial education to working life, a number of issues have yet to be addressed. They are: developing an effective process for identifying young people who are at risk of leaving the education system prematurely; developing integrated approaches to career guidance that combine educational, labour market and social counselling; ensuring that underpinning knowledge, generic competencies and work readiness skills form the basis of young people's training; improving the opportunities for young people to learn in real work settings while they are students; and taking further steps to ensure that the structures and frameworks now in place serve the interests of both learners and employers.