

After secondary school, students are faced with several options to continue studying:
The transition from secondary school to Cégep can generate a lot of stress and anxiety for all students concerned. In the last few years, we’ve observed a considerable increase in student requests for consultation with psychological services in Cégeps and universities.
On the emotional level, this transition is often marked by students moving out of the family home. On the school level, there’s an increase in the length of classes and work load. Also, not being familiar with the various requirements and informal rules in place in Cégep can be unsettling for students.
Several other sources of stress can then add up, such as:
In this context, and despite the fact that they often go unnoticed, many students experience depressive symptoms during the transition from secondary school to Cégep (Meunier-Dubé et Marcotte, s. d.).
Vocational training
Students that move on to vocation training must adapt to a new organization of studies and learnings related to their future career with specialized teachers. This situation requires adjustments and adaptations from every student.
General adult education
Access to general adult education answers a variety of needs and is organized following different modes: continuous admissions and variable exits; fixed admissions and exits, etc. As a consequence, the transitions are not necessarily linear and the school progress is often made intermittently. The education services offered can lead to a Secondary Studies Diploma or a qualification, or to vocational training or post-secondary studies.
The decision to leave the education system designed for children to one designed for adults often comes from negative experiences in the regular youth education system. That said, the appeal of general adult education for teenagers, who see it as a replacement for the regular education system, is very real, because it often allows them to obtain their Secondary School Diploma (CSE, 2009).
In fact, reports show that general adult education centres are places where the successes adults experience are important turning points in their lives (Marcotte, Cloutier and Fortin, 2010).
Many graduates will have no problem transitioning into the labour market. However, for those with more important needs, or those who have little to no work experience, support and assistance will be essential.
Graduates in vocational training and technical programs who have disabilities have a harder time finding a job closely related to their field of studies than students without disabilities (OPHQ, 2011). According to the OPHQ, certain aspects must be considered to make that transition easier:
Conditions that support access to employment at the end of the school path
Real work experiences, paid jobs, or even activities in the community are conditions associated with being able to get a job after the end of the school path (Ruel, Moreau and Julien-Gauthier, 2015).
Also, students engaged in planning their school transition and who receive support in this planning, by their parents as well as their counselors, in a context of intersectoral collaboration, have better chances of finding employment at the end of their studies (Ruel, Moreau and Julien-Gauthier, 2015).
Successful Transitions to Higher Education
This project aims to create a collaborative support environment that focuses on harmonization and the sharing of responsibilities and resources to promote successful transitions in learners’ educational paths. The project was implemented by the University of Quebec and funded by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2021.
Explore the resource bank created as part of this major project. This bank is intended for secondary (youth sector) to university levels:
Find digital guides, infographics, questionnaires, videos and podcasts, research reports, dissemination products, etc.
10 significant needs when going through a school transition
This infographic was designed as a tool for school environments to offer better support to students who are going through a school transition, based on the 10 significant needs identified in the research paper “Transitions réussies entre les voies de formation sous la perspective des jeunes de la Mauricie” (Rousseau et al., 2024).
Goals of this initiative: