An analysis examined changes in participation in vocational education and training and in schooling and higher education in Australia. It drew principally on data from the Youth in Transitions study. Participation estimates were based on information from four cohorts of young people. Members of each cohort initially completed multiple-choice tests in reading comprehension and mathematics and then completed an annual mail questionnaire focused on participation in education and the labor market. Participation was compared when members of the cohorts were aged 19 in 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1994. Types of educational participation identified were year 12 completion, technical and further education (TAFE), apprenticeship, higher education, and post-school education and training. Results indicated substantial growth in most forms of post-compulsory education; a year 12 completion rate that more than doubled in the 14 years spanned by the cohorts; substantial increase in participation in TAFE programs; declining participation in apprenticeships; and nearly doubled participation in higher education. In a reversal, in the most recent cohort, young people from blue-collar families were more likely to participate in TAFE than those from other families. The wealth profile of apprentices declined marginally over time. In the mid-1990s, young people from the wealthiest quartile were somewhat less likely to enter apprenticeships. (YBL)