The Transition Year Programme: An Assessment

The Transition Year programme has been in existence in Ireland since the 1970s but has expanded considerably since the mid-1990s. The programme is designed to promote a range of competencies and skills not usually emphasised within traditional academic education. It places an emphasis on developing personal and social skills, self-directed learning and providing young people with experience of adult and working life.

In spite of the innovative nature of Transition Year, little is known about the way in which the programme is implemented in different kinds of school settings and about the educational careers of students who take Transition Year.

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the operation of the Transition Year programme using information gathered from school principals, teachers and students themselves. Published in association with the Economic and Social Research Institute.

About the Author

s Emer Smyth, Delma Byrne and Carmel Hannan are researchers at the Economic and Social Research Institute.