Supporting girls’ transitions from school to higher education and work

Transition from school to higher education and work is a fundamentally important phase that determines individuals’ future trajectories and livelihoods. This is particularly a pivotal period for girls in resource-constrained settings, where poverty and gender inequality intersect. This report moves beyond recent quantitative studies on gender-related barriers to school participation and learning to explore the wider evidence base on girls’ education to identify: 

1. the key skills necessary for transition and 

2. the interventions needed to make effective transitions happen. 

Looking at transition from the lens of a complete schooling cycle, the report also provides lessons for policymakers, particularly highlighting the need for effective transition to be supported across education systems in an integrated way, rather than through isolated individual programmes. 

Key findings:  

1. The barriers to girls’ transition are complex, multifaceted, and often reinforce each other. 
   Multi-sectoral interventions that target overlapping vulnerabilities have been shown to have a positive impact in supporting girls’ transitions.  

2. In contexts where disadvantaged girls drop out of school or are unable to develop foundational skills, literacy and numeracy catch-up programs should be integrated into vocational and life skills training, to offer girls a second chance to develop the core skills. 

3. To ensure girls are effectively prepared to transition into work, vocational training and on-the-job training or internships could be combined. This would provide opportunities for learning transferable skills alongside applying skills acquired by training in work contexts. 

4. Integration of ICT in training programmes holds promise for building girls’ skills and confidence in navigating an increasingly digital world.