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There is international concern at the failure of a considerable and growing number of young people to make an effective transition from secondary schooling to postsecondary education and training. Disengagement is a phenomenon that is removing a group of young people from the transition process while inadequate academic preparation sees others unable to craft an effective and appropriate pathway from secondary schooling to postsecondary education and training. The cumulative impact of this on countries is to create a seemingly intractable issue around a group that has come to be known as NEETs - those not in employment, education or training. This review surveys the issue of transitions from secondary schooling to tertiary/postsecondary education and training. The picture it paints suggests that where education is working well for students it is working very well. Where there are issues, they are urgent and may be more widespread than conventionally accepted. The issues outlined in this review are shared between New Zealand, Australia, Canada the United Kingdom and the United States. These unitary centred systems where students follow a pathway that is essentially the same for all students in the senior secondary school contrast with the dual systems of Europe and Scandinavia where more multiple pathways are available to students with flexible options that allow students to move across pathways as aspirations and aptitudes become clearer. This focus on multiple pathways is gaining ground internationally as a way forward and promises to open up ways for students to navigate through to qualifications that will take them into employment.

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Coordinated effort by the skills and training sector is needed to improve vocational education and training (VET) completion rates. This report identifies three key themes for the sector to focus on: understanding and responding to the purpose for study, improving the VET system and delivery, and supporting learners most at-risk of non-completion. The report considers the system and learner factors known to negatively impact completion rates. It identifies systemic mechanisms and enablers to improve completion rates and learner outcomes, particularly where learner and employer expectations do not align with the current VET system, and highlights opportunities to provide tailored advice and supports for those facing barriers to completion. The report also provides 17 recommendations for consideration by Skills and Workforce Ministers, presenting a range of systemic and learner-focused approaches that could be applied across Australia to improve completion rates.

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Completion rates are one measure of the success of apprenticeship training. But little is known about outcomes for youth who begin an apprenticeship in high school. This paper draws primarily on interviews with youth who did not continue training or work in their high school apprenticeship trade in two Canadian provinces. [The authors'] analysis focuses on why these youth decided to enrol in high school apprenticeship, why they did not continue and what they did afterwards. Findings suggest that a narrow focus on apprenticeship training completion diverts attention from the complex learning and work transitions experienced by most youth. Instead of assuming a linear pathway from school-to-trades work, [the authors] argue that partners involved in high school apprenticeship and policy-makers could do more to raise student awareness of multiple trajectories and skills transfer, make apprenticeship training more expansive, and increase the flexibility of pathways by providing greater articulation between different post-secondary education pathways and opportunities to change direction.

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University-based enabling programs provide an important pathway to tertiary study for large numbers of non-traditional students (especially those in government-targeted equity groups). Such programs tend to have rates of student attrition which are high relative to those of undergraduate degree programs, a matter of continuing concern to all those responsible for their supervision and delivery. This project investigated the nature and causes of student attrition in enabling programs and, in particular, to determine any similarities and differences in these processes in undergraduate programs, and to recommend measures to enhance student retention. The project comprised two major components: an empirical study of student attrition in the participating institutions' enabling programs and a combined dissemination/consultation process centred on a series of regional workshops.

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The expansion of the higher education sector in Australia opened up new pathways into university increasing the diversity of the student population. For non-traditional students, those who did not successfully complete secondary school, barriers to gaining entry into university have been dismantled, however, previous research suggests that non-traditional students are more likely than traditional students to drop out of higher education. This paper analyses administrative data for a cohort of first year undergraduate students attending an Australian university to examine the association between pathway to university and student retention and academic progression.

[The authors'] findings show that after controlling for grade point average, students who completed an enabling course on campus prior to commencing their undergraduate program were less likely than students admitted on the basis of completing secondary school to discontinue their university studies. This suggests that enabling programs provided on campus may assist students who do not meet the minimum requirements for university entrance to complete a university degree.

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The paper deals with an empirical question in the under-researched area of student retention in higher education in Northern Ireland; specifically, it explores the barriers to learning and programme completion that full-time higher education students encountered in a specific dual sector further and higher education college in Northern Ireland from the perspective of 19 withdrawn students. Data was gathered with the support of interpretive paradigm and analyzed with the grounded theory method of data analysis. On the basis of this analysis, barriers to learning were identified to illustrate students non-completion of studies within the case institution and, in doing so, the theories of hot knowledge, capitals and habitus were explored, modified and added to in the context of this study. However, these barriers in isolation did not lead students to withdraw, it is only when barriers combined that the desire to withdraw was outweighed by the decision to complete. This subject area of student retention is poorly investigated in an environment which has a long history of conflict, with a legacy of high unemployment and significant poverty. This study will form the foundation blocks and commence a body of knowledge on student non-completion in dual sector further and higher education institutions in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, this study adds to both national and international knowledge on the barriers to completion which students encounter as members of a dual sector educational system.

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This open access annotated bibliography has been curated by a collective of scholars who share an interest in enabling education as a form of alternative entry into higher education studies (often referred to as 'tertiary preparation', 'foundation studies', 'bridging programs' and 'university preparation' programs). This annotated bibliography primarily has an Australian focus, although it also includes relevant literature written from other international contexts, such as New Zealand and the UK. This bibliography offers a snapshot of some of the available literature that relates to the following areas of scholarly and practitioner interest: Enabling education; Alternative pathways; Academic literacies; Attrition; Equity; Pathways; Retention; Social justice; Student experience including: Indigenous students, Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Regional, rural and remote students, First-in-family students, Mature age students, Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) students; Teaching and learning; Widening participation.

These resources are intended to be shared with the international community of researchers, students, educators and practitioners who work with, or are interested in issues relating to equity, widening participation and recognitive/alternative pathways into university study for people who are traditionally under-represented in higher education and/or are educationally disadvantaged.

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In the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District has achieved a startling success over the last two years: it has recovered and graduated over 600 dropouts and put them on a clear pathway to college. Just a few years ago, low graduation rates, struggling high schools, and poor staff and student morale characterized this predominantly Hispanic and low-income tri-city community. Since then, the dropout rate has plummeted and the graduation rate is rising steadily. Under the leadership of Dr. Daniel King, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo illustrates how Texas districts can use innovative state policy to improve graduation rates by reengaging and graduating out-of-school youth. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo teamed up with South Texas College to create the College, Career, and Technology Academy (CCTA), a college-connected dropout recovery school that puts into action policies Texas has created over the past five years. Through CCTA, former dropouts complete their high school diploma and seamlessly transition into college courses when they are ready. The design is both effective and efficient. Students focus only on what they need for graduation and for college-readiness, and they begin college courses while finishing their high school requirements. Texas policies that encourage districts to recover dropouts, provide state funding for students who are over compulsory school age, and promote college-connectedness for students still in high school created the environment for a successful back-on-track program, like CCTA. This case study spotlights how the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District has leveraged policies and conditions that the Texas Legislature put into place and achieved extraordinary outcomes in not only graduating students but also in facilitating smooth transitions to postsecondary education and training. [Jobs for the Future] JFF has conducted a 50-state scan to identify schools and programs that integrate high school and college for the population of youth who either fall off track to graduation or who drop out altogether. Our scan has identified CCTA as an effective design with compelling outcomes, worthy of replication throughout Texas and nationally.

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High attrition rates from university-based enabling programs continue to be the subject of much research and administrative effort. Understanding the factors behind decisions to withdraw from such programs is difficult since those who do not successfully complete an enabling program may not readily agree to participate in research into their motivations for enrolling, and reasons for withdrawal, leaving them silent in the literature. Students who are relatively successful with enabling study have 'insider' perceptions to share concerning the motivations of their fellow students, and the barriers some face. They can provide unique insights into factors behind the intractable problem of high attrition from enabling programs and the low rates of articulation into university study.

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Student or program deficiencies are the classic explanation for student departure from community college partners of career technical education programs. However, a complex set of factors impact college attendance, persistence, and departure decision-making. Participants’ experiences both within and outside program structures can reshape long-term goals. Based on a seven year study of a population of 256 students, this article examines detailed case studies of two students’ experiences leaving and reentering community college. It reveals how one program supported multiple exit and entry points. Interconnected educational and career pathways were made visible with the creation of a visual model that situated program experiences in a broader educational and career pathway. Additionally, both the use of creative solutions and adherence to rigid program parameters impacted students’ career and educational trajectories. For more effective results, programs should support parallel career planning and encourage participants to question program structures in relation to their needs.

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