While away years of progress (7)
I believe the answer is:
passage
'progress' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'while away years' is the wordplay.
'while away' becomes 'pass' (pass time).
'years' becomes 'age' (period of many years).
'pass'+'age'='PASSAGE'
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for passage that I've seen before include "Corridor or narrow laneway" , "Way through something" , "equestrian manoeuvre" , "course" , "Alley - corridor" .)