The year focuses on many non-academic subjects, such as life skills including first aid, cooking, self-defence, driving and typing.
[3] Students in TY are also encouraged to take part in various competitions and programmes outside the school; these include BT Young Scientist,[4] Gaisce: The President's Award[5] and Junk Kouture.
A report from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment found that students who partake in Transition Year generally have higher Leaving Certificate results.
[12] In 2012, Dermot Kirwan of Friends of the Elderly criticized Transition Year for being a "self-indulgent luxury that we cannot afford" and was not "fit for purpose" given the current economic crisis.
Mark English — described by Jerry Kiernan as Ireland's "greatest talent" ever in middle-distance running — first turned seriously to athletics during his Transition Year.