Like many ideas that inform policy, practice and research, 'transition' has numerous everyday and conceptual meanings. Children make a transition to adulthood, pupils move from primary to secondary school, from school to work, training or further education. Such transitions can lead to profound change or be an impetus for new learning, or they can be unsettling, difficult and unproductive. Yet, while certain transitions are unsettling and difficult for some people, risk, challenge and even difficulty might also be important factors in successful transitions for others. Rapid social and economic changes in work and education, life patterns and support systems are leading to growing political interest in transitions in many countries. Reports by the British government's Social Exclusion Unit and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development present successful transitions as essential for educational and social achievement and for economic prosperity.Policy makers regard successful transitions through the education system and labour market as essential for social inclusion and educational achievement, and are therefore increasingly concerned that some groups and individuals experience particular difficulty in managing transitions. Transitions have increasingly become a political concern, through numerous policy initiatives that encourage institutions and individuals to manage transitions more effectively. Aimed primarily at academic researchers and students at all levels of study across a range of disciplines, including education, careers, sociology, feminist and cultural studies, it the first systematic attempt to bring together and evaluate insights about educational, life and work transitions from different fields of research.