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In September 2020, at the height of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic and with growing concern about its economic impact across the UK, the Kickstart Scheme became the latest in a very long line of initiatives targeted at assisting young people to gain entry to the labour market. As the UK emerges from the pandemic and looks ahead, it is opportune to reflect on how policy makers have grappled with the challenge of managing youth transitions into the labour market, with the aim of minimising the risk and incidence of youth unemployment and the scarring effects of youth disengagement.

The purpose of this paper is to map the trajectory of change within youth transitions which has occurred across the UK since the 1970s. The focus includes a review of selected training initiatives that have been introduced to replace 'traditional' youth jobs; the expansion of educational opportunities for young people; and the shifting responsibility for youth transitions within national, regional and local government and, increasingly, outside of government. Foremost, it examines what we have learnt, where we have failed, and how we might move forward.

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