Over the past two decades, both the number and the proportion of students undertaking formal study past the compulsory school years have increased dramatically. Between 1991 and 2000, for example, the number of people aged 19 and under participating in all forms of vocational education and training (VET) increased by more than 50 per cent (NCVER, 2002), similar to a growth of around 60 percent in higher education (DETYA, 2001). The overall increase in participation in tertiary education has led to a focus on the provision of quality programs, with increased interest in institutional accountability and efficiency, resource allocation and student support services, as well as the benefits of vocational education and training. This report concentrates on students who participated in one form of VET study. It uses data from a sample of young people who were in Year 9 at school in 1995 and participated in study leading to certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas and associate degrees that are not associated with an apprenticeship or a traineeship (unweighted n=1232). The report examines characteristics of these non-apprenticeship VET students, their persistence in study and the early outcomes of that study. The following are appended: (1) The 1995 Year 9 LSAY Cohort; (2) Accuracy of Retrospective Data; (3) Measures; (4) Multivariate Techniques; and (5) Supplementary Tables. (Contains 34 tables and 4 figures.) [This report forms part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, a research program jointly managed by ACER and the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).]