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The aim of the Slingshot program, established in Melbourne in June 2001, was to assist young people with an interest in running their own business to learn relevant skills and to explore the opportunities presented by self-employment. This paper, commissioned by the Slingshot Committee of Management, documents and reviews what has been learned from the program over its three years of operation. It considers how Slingshot has achieved its objectives, documents the reasons for success and measures the impact of Slingshot on the experiences and pathways of the young people involved. The findings indicate that: Slingshot successfully targeted disadvantaged young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years old; young people felt that Slingshot training in business and goal setting skills helped them make informed decisions about self-employment pathways, and that guest speakers, trainers and staff helped motivate them to pursue their dreams; some young people chose to pursue further education and training in fields they were passionate about; some participants decided to work part-time to support themselves while they developed their business or business plan; some participants appreciated and made use of Slingshot’s support network of ‘like-minded’ young people for support, inspiration and information; some participants used mentor business networks to develop their business ideas; and many of the young people who completed Slingshot training continued to be engaged in self employment activities four months after completing the training and most had positive outcomes in regard to employment and education participation. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; The Slingshot program; Impacts of Slingshot; Cost effectiveness of Slingshot; Key factors in program success; Issues and areas for development; Conclusions and recommendations.