Much is expected of further education. It is central to meeting not only the needs of industry and wider society, but also the expectations and interests of individual learners--often but not exclusively linked to their career aspirations. In this article, the authors report on a two-year study of further education in Wales that set out to follow the "journeys" of a group of teachers and a selection of their students. The study found learners struggling to fit in study around other commitments and teachers sometimes having to choose between meeting targets and responding to the complex needs of their learners.