Transition-year co-ordinator Michael O'Leary urges students to get stuck in.

Michael O'Leary is a busy man. As national transition-year co-ordinator he has just finished holding a two-day induction for transition-year co-ordinators who are either new to the post or are establishing transition-year programmes in their schools.

The past 30 years has seen the programme developing and growing as more schools have decided to provide the option for their students. About three-quarters of Irish schools now offer transition year.

A firm advocate of the year, O'Leary is delighted at the progress. "I really think that transition year benefits the students, the teachers and the schools involved," he says. "It gives students a break from the pressure of being educated for exams and gives them a chance to have a year that is learning-led."

Much of the work in transition  year is done for its own sake. As a result, students have to make decisions about what they want to get  out of the year, which helps to instil a sense of responsibility for their own learning.

And there are practical benefits as far as the Leaving Certificate is concerned. Although the Leaving Cert course is not covered during transition year, students often get a chance to have a taster of the subjects available to them - and they have the time to make informed decisions about what they would like to do.

"If I was to give advice to students, I'd just say to get stuck in, take all the challenges on board," says O'Leary. "Say, for example, if your school does a musical, so many students say that they could never get involved, but if they do, the confidence and the experience they gain is remarkable . . . Leave yourself open to opportunity. Just don't go in with a closed mind."

O'Leary has similar advice for transition-year teachers. "It's a chance to explore different methods of teaching and learning," he says. "Students learn differently, so a transition-year teacher should facilitate that . . . Arrange different learning activities for students and see what works . . . Don't be afraid of failure. Learn from it."

Increased confidence, maturity and a better knowledge of what you may (or may not) like to do in life are all benefits of a successful transition-year programme. An informal survey of transition-year students threw up another unexpected benefit.

"Anecdotally, a common advantage students cite is that, after transition year, they have a better working relationship with their teachers," says O'Leary. "The survey we conducted was in no way scientific, but for some reason it surprised me that so many students had the insight to appreciate that kind of benefit."

O'Leary is clearly passionate about the programme. "It's a fantastic innovation in education," he says.

Indeed, the opportunities for students, teachers and schools are numerous. In the coming months this page will explore some of them.

All that's left to do is to make the most of them. It truly is up to you.