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Current research into youth transitions in Australia documents an increasingly individualised process (McKenzie, 2000) in which a significant number of 15-19 year-olds are deemed to be ‘at risk’ of not making a successful transition from school to full-time work (Curtain, 1999). In this picture, the linear model of transition is seen by many as no longer applicable to current conditions. The perceived failure of policy in assuring successful transitions through recognised ‘pathways’ of vocational learning and experience is documented in the current literature. However, it can be argued that a change of focus may usefully contribute to this discussion. That is, by looking outside the range of vocational learning opportunities available through current policy provision, new research may provide useful insights into how young people experience this transition process and how they seek to position themselves in the youth labour market. One way of examining this process is to look at the informal vocational experiences young people initiate and the type of learning that takes place in these instances. Further examination of pathways created by young people, as distinct from pathways followed, may shed light on the increasingly complex and risky process of moving between school and work for young people not bound for higher education. Examining the school-to-work transition process through concepts such as self-efficacy of youth rather than the failure of more formalised opportunities can add to the current discussion.