Between 1983 and 1993, grade 7/8 to grade 12 apparent retention rates more than doubled and secondary schools developed vocational education and training (VET) programmes as alternative pathways through secondary school. Previous research indicates that participation in VET programmes is associated with having low-educated parents and/or attending schools in low socioeconomic status areas. In this paper, I analyse data provided by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Education Directorate to examine links between parental education, pathways through senior secondary college and post-school outcomes. The results indicate that students with at least one university-educated parent were less likely to take a VET pathway through senior secondary, even after controlling for level of achievement in grade 9. Students who took a non-university pathway were more likely than other students to be not engaged in either employment or study six months after completing grade 12. Pathway through school was also associated with type of post-school study undertaken.