Using a sample of 324 young adults in four urban centres who left high school in the mid-1980s as well as interviews with representative parents, former teachers, and employers, the authors identify factors that ease transition from school to. These include level of education, social class, gender, ethnicity, aspirations of parents, help from role models, participation in co-op education, and most important of all, self-motivation. The authors describe a range of youth profiles -- uncommitted, non-careerists, conservatives, and innovators -- that will help youth, parents, and educators identify present development and how to improve performance. Emphasizing the importance of co-operative education, the authors suggest that closer relations between school and work, such as exist in the United Kingdom and Sweden, facilitate transition into the labour market. On Their Own will guide parents, youth, educators, trustees, employers, and ministries of education and training to prepare a new generation of productive, resilient workers and managers for success in the information age.

The transition of the young from school to work has become a critical social problem for most industrialized countries. Eastside Youth's Passage through School to Work: A Comparative Longitudinal Study is the first thoroughgoing investigation in Canada of the transition of youth into work. This research combines longitudinal survey and ethnographic methods, revealing the feelings as well as experiences of youth growing up in a changing metropolitan culture. The study also considers the accomplishments and limitations of an intervention program aimed at assisting disprivileged young people at a critical stage in development. It concludes with recommendations for strengthening ties between family, school and workplace in easing the passage into a productive and satisfying adulthood.