This "Briefing" looks at participation in VET in Schools programs by members of three groups of young people who have been part of Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) since 1995, when VET in Schools offerings experienced sustained growth. Highlights of this briefing include: (1) Student enrolments in VET in Schools have grown substantially. Among members of the LSAY cohorts, 17 per cent of Year 11 students were enrolled in a VET subject in 1997, 27 per cent in 2000 and 30 per cent in 2003/2004; (2) Over the past 10 years, the broad profile of the young people who participate in VET in schools has not changed: they tend to have lower levels of achievement, and to be from more disadvantaged backgrounds; (3) VET in Schools students are more likely to be studying school subjects in the Key Learning Area of technology, and less likely to be enrolled in mathematics, humanities and social sciences, languages other than English, the biological sciences and the physical sciences; (4) Since its introduction, VET in Schools has contributed to improved retention of the less academically inclined young people to Year 11 and, to a lesser extent, to Year 12; (5) Undertaking VET subjects improved the post school outcomes for Year 11 leavers as well as for Year 12 leavers who were not university bound by providing for a smoother transition to employment or post school VET; and (6) Those enrolled in VET in Schools were more likely to pursue VET pathways (Australian Apprenticeships and TAFE courses) after leaving school from Year 11 or Year 12 than their counterparts. This indicates that VET in Schools has been effective at promoting VET careers. (Contains 4 figures and 1 footnote.) [Funding for this document was provided by the Australian Education Systems Officials Committee (AESOC) through the National Fund for Educational Research.]