country with enormous economic and social potential, the Democratic Republic of Congo faces the twin challenges of ensuring universal primary education and expanding opportunities for post-primary education and training for its youth. The stock of human capital, one measure of which is the educational attainment of the labor force, is extremely low in the DRC and can constrain long-term economic growth. The low primary completion rate of 29 percent (2006) is a contributor to this low educational attainment and at the same time limits the rate at which post-primary education can be expanded. Changing the Trajectory: Education and Training for Youth presents an analysis of the current educational attainment and current enrollment status of youth in the 12 to 24 year age group and the education and training opportunities open to them in the formal and informal sectors. Using the results from a simulation model that incorporates enrollment in alternative education programs and the educational attainment of the out-of-school population, it discusses alternative scenarios for the development of the post-primary sector. The results of each scenario are evaluated with respect to the impact on the human capital accumulation of young people and the sustainability of public expenditures. The report offers some options for rapidly raising the educational attainment of young people who will enter the labor force in the next two decades, including expanding opportunities for alternative education and training for out-of-school children, extension of the primary cycle, and reorganization of secondary and technical/vocational education to reduce early specialization. This study will be of interest to other African countries, education professionals, and staff of development organizations as they grapple with the challenge of expanding access to post-primary education in the context of low primary achievement and limited resources