The research reflected in this volume indicates that in South Africa there are almost three million youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who are not in education, training or employment - a situation which points not only to a grave wastage of talent, but also to the possibility of serious social disruption. The authors in this work paint a picture of the enormous reservoir of human talent which exists in the country, but is not provided with the means to develop. Responding to the Educational Needs of Post-School Youth attempts not only to sketch the scope and extent of the current post-school educational crisis, but also to explore possible solutions through collaboration in the higher education sector. The findings reported here are a result of three distinctive but linked research components conducted by the Further Education and Training Institute (University of Western Cape), the Centre for Higher Education Transformation, and the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (University of Cape Town). The research was funded by the Ford Foundation and the project conducted in consultation with the Department of Education.