The changes that have occurred in the field of education over the course of the last couple of decades have been associated with increased demands that are not only placed on individuals from both within and beyond the education system, but also on the support they require to make successful educational choices. One central way this need is being addressed is through educational and vocational guidance provided at different stages and transition points of educational trajectories. The aim of this article is to provide a context for the research findings presented in the subsequent articles of this special issue by illustrating the ways educational trajectories are regulated through the organization of schooling and the structures of educational and vocational guidance in the eight countries that participated in the Governance of Educational Trajectories in Europe (GOETE) research project. This article presents three country clusters of education and welfare based on the comparative analysis conducted by the project.