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Some secondary school students do not make the transition to vocational education. The report 'The cost of dropping out' (BCA, 2003) (indexed at TD/TNC 72.504) found that two-thirds of the 270,000 young people annually who leave school early will become unemployed or employed in casual jobs. Over 50,000 young people who leave school early each year will never gain further qualifications, at a cost to Australia of $2.6 billion per annum. The South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST) undertook research with 107 disengaged youth in 2004, in order to identify what support young people required to make the transition to training or employment. The research also investigated what associated partnerships were required with local businesses and community groups. The pragmatic research methodology involved the use of interviews, observations, workshops and focus groups. Data collected included facilitators' and students' journals and students' digital stories. The research findings indicate that multiple strategies are required to address the needs of disengaged youth, such as the facilitation of project-based learning, the creation of a 'youth friendly' learning environments, the use of individual case management techniques and the construction of durable partnerships. This research potentially has implications for the design of similar programs in other jurisdictions, particularly where governments are willing to view such programs as an investment not a cost.