The patterns of transition from education to work have generally become prolonged and more com-plex (Ryan 1999; Heinz 1999; Gangl & Müller 2003). The consequences of these changes are from a structural perspective that education and work are becoming more separate, and from a subjective perspective that the pathways from education to work are becoming longer and less transparent (Hodkinson a.o.1996; Raffe 2003).Different education and training regimes though differ in respect to the way they connect education and work. The three main types of European education and training regimes differ not only with respect to their dominant form of connection, but also with respect to the strength of institutional support they provide for young people transition from education to work (Greinert 1999;Gangl 2001).Regimes based the Dual System and occupational labour markets are generally noted for having low levels of youth unemployment, and this is taken as a good indicator for the ability of this re-gime to provide a smooth transition to work (Cedefop 2001). The central mechanisms behind this ability are the specific skills acquired in this system and the gradual socialisation to work life that is an integral part of an apprenticeship. It also has to do with the transparency of the system. The choice of a youngster of a vocational education is known to give access to a specific type of job and occupation that is acknowledged as a valuable alternative to higher education for many young peo-ple. The Danish model is based on this type of Dual System regime, but a number of educational reforms have pointed both towards a more school based and a more market based regime.The purpose of this paper is then to explore the current patterns of transition from education to work through the Danish vocational education and training system. Special consideration is given to the role of occupations both in the shape of occupational labour markets and in the shape of vocational identities.The paper deals in the first part with the qualities of the Danish system of vocational education and training system in relation to transition. The system is assessed in relation to other education and training regimes and by discussing the challenges that the regime is currently facing. This part in-cludes a review of research and research methodology on transition and vet regimes.The second part describes the results of an empirical research project on transition in the Danish vet system. It combined a qualitative and a quantitative dimension and included 27 individual inter-views and two surveys, of which the first was conducted when the students had just finished their apprenticeship, and the second was done 6 years after.The responding persons were divided in 3 main groups according to different patterns of transition: those who stayed with their first employer, those who shifted jobs inside the occupation and those who left the occupation. Each of these groups was divided into two subgroups. Participants in the interviews were selected so that they covered all 6 types of transition. The general discussion confirms the usefulness of the research approach that conceives of the different transition patterns in term of vocational education and training regimes. The concepts though are somewhat unclear as they at the same time refer to specific countries and to conceptual models. The actual institutions in the European countries today are a mixture of different forms of regula-tion.In addition though the current conceptualisation of three regimes can be useful to explain national differences, it does not catch the clear differences in transition patterns between trades or sectors. Here more specific concepts are needed to explain the different institutional context og for example banking and retailing.The results from the empirical study show that the tracking or division inherent in the Dual System regime is not as strong as is often assumed. The majority of the vocational students have a back-ground from general education that gives admission to higher education. The students thus moves horizontally in their transition - not only vertically as the institutional structure would suggest.Secondly more than one third has left the occupation after 6 years, which shows that the system is not as impenetrable as the critics assume. And it confirms the high degree of flexibility implied in the Dual System.Thirdly the study shows that the occupational identity is often different from the profile of the edu-cation that was completed 6 years earlier - either as a specialisation on the top of the education or as a new occupational competence acquired through workplace learning and further education.AbstractThe meaning of occupations in the transition from education to work Description and purpose The patterns of transition from education to work have generally become prolonged and more com-plex (Ryan 1999; Heinz 1999; Gangl & Müller 2003). The consequences of these changes are from a structural perspective that education and work are becoming more separate, and from a subjective perspective that the pathways from education to work are becoming longer and less transparent (Hodkinson a.o.1996; Raffe 2003).Different education and training regimes though differ in respect to the way they connect education and work. The three main types of European education and training regimes differ not only with respect to their dominant form of connection, but also with respect to the strength of institutional support they provide for young people transition from education to work (Greinert 1999;Gangl 2001).Regimes based the Dual System and occupational labour markets are generally noted for having low levels of youth unemployment, and this is taken as a good indicator for the ability of this re-gime to provide a smooth transition to work (Cedefop 2001). The central mechanisms behind this ability are the specific skills acquired in this system and the gradual socialisation to work life that is an integral part of an apprenticeship. It also has to do with the transparency of the system. The choice of a youngster of a vocational education is known to give access to a specific type of job and occupation that is acknowledged as a valuable alternative to higher education for many young peo-ple. The Danish model is based on this type of Dual System regime, but a number of educational reforms have pointed both towards a more school based and a more market based regime.The purpose of this paper is then to explore the current patterns of transition from education to work through the Danish vocational education and training system. Special consideration is given to the role of occupations both in the shape of occupational labour markets and in the shape of vocational identities.Methodolody The paper deals in the first part with the qualities of the Danish system of vocational education and training system in relation to transition. The system is assessed in relation to other education and training regimes and by discussing the challenges that the regime is currently facing. This part in-cludes a review of research and research methodology on transition and vet regimes.The second part describes the results of an empirical research project on transition in the Danish vet system. It combined a qualitative and a quantitative dimension and included 27 individual inter-views and two surveys, of which the first was conducted when the students had just finished their apprenticeship, and the second was done 6 years after.The responding persons were divided in 3 main groups according to different patterns of transition: those who stayed with their first employer, those who shifted jobs inside the occupation and those who left the occupation. Each of these groups was divided into two subgroups. Participants in the interviews were selected so that they covered all 6 types of transition.ResultsThe general discussion confirms the usefulness of the research approach that conceives of the dif-ferent transition patterns in term of vocational education and training regimes. The concepts though are somewhat unclear as they at the same time refer to specific countries and to conceptual models. The actual institutions in the European countries today are a mixture of different forms of regula-tion.In addition though the current conceptualisation of three regimes can be useful to explain national differences, it does not catch the clear differences in transition patterns between trades or sectors. Here more specific concepts are needed to explain the different institutional context og for example banking and retailing.The results from the empirical study show that the tracking or division inherent in the Dual System regime is not as strong as is often assumed. The majority of the vocational students have a back-ground from general education that gives admission to higher education. The students thus moves horizontally in their transition - not only vertically as the institutional structure would suggest.Secondly more than one third has left the occupation after 6 years, which shows that the system is not as impenetrable as the critics assume. And it confirms the high degree of flexibility implied in the Dual System.Thirdly the study shows that the occupational identity is often different from the profile of the edu-cation that was completed 6 years earlier - either as a specialisation on the top of the education or as a new occupational competence acquired through workplace learning and further education.Cedefop 2001: The transition from education to working life - Key data on vocational training in the European Union Cedefop LuxembourgGangl, Markus & Walter Müller (Eds) 2003): Transitions from education to work in Europe : the integration of youth into EU labour markets, New York : Oxford University Press.Greinert, Wolf-Dietrich 1999: Berufsqualifizierung und dritte industrielle Revolution, Nomos-Verlags-Gesellschaft, Baden-Baden.Heinz; Walter R (ed.) 1999: From Education to Work: Cross-National Perspectives. New York: Cambridge University PressHodkinson, Phil & Andrew C. Sparkes & Heather Hodkinson 1996: Triumphs and tears : young people, markets and the transition from school to work, Manchester, David Fulton.Raffe, David 2003: Pathways Linking Education and Work: A Review of Concepts, Research, and Policy Debates, Journal of Youth Studies, Vol 6, nr 1 2003 Ryan, Paul 1999: The school to work transition: issues for further investigations, OECD, Paris.It will be proposed to Journal of Education and Work