This paper contends that, because the direct connection between education and earnings is growing, with higher earnings increasingly linked to some form of postsecondary education and training, economic self-sufficiency frequently requires that workers advance beyond high school. At the same time, employers are increasingly reporting difficulty in finding and keeping a skilled workforce. The institutions and programs that train workers must adapt to the different skills and expectations required of the worker in the new economy. Career ladders, or long-term career-progression pathways that enable individuals to advance, provide a framework for lifelong learning. Career ladders begin with basic skills, integrate education with work, and propel individuals toward successively higher levels of skills, responsibility, and wages. This paper outlines the specifics of what career ladders should do for those currently outside the labor market, including provision of a full spectrum of education and training while integrating academic and career skills and knowledge. Building a career ladders system involves imposition of a new overarching mandate on economic and workforce development and educational institutions. These agencies and institutions must begin to develop partnerships that link welfare programs, training programs, education programs, and economic development programs. (NB)