In the spring of 2006, CPRN began a project, Pathways for Youth to the Labour Market, which includes a series of research papers that examine what helps and hinders young people on their route from school to a good job.

The Pathways project set out to develop policy options that would improve young people's ability to identify, select, and navigate pathways that lead to rewarding and productive lives.  The key purposes of the project are:

• To better understand the paths that young people take, from high school through to regular participation in the labour market.

• To identify institutional and policy structures that appear to support or hinder young people's ability to find pathways that lead to sustained employment with decent pay, good working conditions and career potential.

• To examine attitudes and underlying values about the different pathways that are or could be available, how they are shaped, and how they influence choices.

• To develop policy options to improve the ability of young people to identify, select, and navigate pathways that lead to "success."