Unemployment hurts at any age. Unemployment at a young age, however, generates a long-lasting negative impact. School leavers that fail to find adequate apprenticeship training position stand in danger of acquiring only insufficient vocational training or none at all. As a consequence, many will find themselves being trapped in the low-paid-sectors of the labor market, make ends meet with zero-hours contracts or having no prospect to gain a proper job at all. There can be no doubt that youth unemployment propels the probability of experiencing long spells of joblessness and bear out a high risk of social exclusion. In many cases the future of such young people will be marked by what sociologists now call ‘a state of precarity’. Glasgow, the region Rhine-Meuse and Nuremberg have an industrial past and had to master a process of structural change. They all have been facing the challenge of youth unemployment for many years. Now, for the first time, they will share their experience and promote further development by a collaborative effort for the development of comprehensive standards for the transition process from school to employment, being key to young people’s future success. Looking at the problem of transition from school to apprenticeship, employment or higher and further education in a wider perspective, they want to address several aspects of education, formal, non-formal and informal. Therefore, school, local youth organizations and parent associations and institutions of vocational training are invited to join the Strategic Partnership. Not only the local authorities themselves are involved on a broad, cross-sectoral basis, including education departments, youth and social services, but also other non-government organizations will be addressed, too, such as employment agencies, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Crafts, as well as companies. The partner institutions work together through regular project meetings,, workshops, conferences and as an online community. First, they want to establish types of career education within institutions of formal education. Then they focus on effective ways of supporting young people by extra curricular action. Thirdly they will investigate instruments of vocational training, especially for young people who have not succeeded to contract for apprenticeship. As a result, they develop not only recommendations, but also provide best practice and sample materials. All results and materials are shared on the project's website, through paper publications, and through three consecutive conferences in each of the regions. In this way, the insights and resources developed by the project are introduced to other schools, youth organizations, vocational organizations, local authorities, local stakeholders and the wider public.