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This report is the result of research undertaken in 2006 by the Group Training Association (GTA) of Victoria, commissioned and funded by the then Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), now the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). The aim of the project was to investigate the feasibility of developing strategies to improve the transition rates of those who demonstrate an interest in doing an apprenticeship but for a variety of reasons are not actually able to secure one. The research points to some factors that are barriers to young people breaking out from this situation, such as a disconnect between the information available about apprenticeships and the way in which it reaches, or more importantly, does not reach its intended audiences; a poor understanding at the school level of the skills, experience and aptitudes needed to be a candidate for apprenticeships; the effectiveness of selection tools/strategies to recruit apprentices; underutilisation of applicants; the mobility of applicants; and a mismatch of recruitment selection tools and school preparation for apprenticeships. Recommendations resulting from the research include: improving the understanding at the school level of teachers and students of the skills, experience and aptitudes needed to be a candidate for apprenticeship; develop a project to test the feasibility of using the national Group Training Organisations (GTO) network to provide teacher professional development; develop strategies to build upon the opportunity presented by the South Australian case study; use the GTO network and their partnerships with schools to improve understanding of the range of subjects and skill levels, including literacy and numeracy, that are required to properly prepare students for an apprenticeship; further investigate the cohort of people who apply for apprenticeships but who are not in school and assess the strategies necessary to improve their engagement and participation rates; pilot a projct with a number of GTOs to investigate the use of on-line technology in the recruitment, tracking and management of apprenticeship applicants who are not attached to an education provider.