This theme is concerned with transitions both within the compulsory education phase and beyond. Young people face both institutional transitions, such as the transition at the current school leaving age of 16, and transitions that may occur at different ages for different types of young people, such as living independently from their family. Given current economic conditions and the rapidly rising youth unemployment rate, there is a strong focus in the research programme on improving our understanding of the drivers of labour market transitions in particular. We take a holistic approach to the numerous transitions young people make when moving from adolescence into adulthood and we aim to develop our knowledge of the way in which different types of transition (in education, employment, family life and housing) interact. The research will be firmly grounded in the need to develop effective policy that facilitates transitions at these critical stages in a young person's life.