A model is presented in this paper for opening the doors between the educational system and the larger community to an effective career education program which would prepare graduates of the 1980s to move directly from the classroom into jobs. Topics discussed include the following: (1) the youth employment crisis and how business and government respond, how the public schools respond, some approaches to career education (career awareness, career discovery, and career emphasis), how postsecondary schools respond, and the need for a cooperative response; (2) trends in the job market of tomorrow, including computerization, more white-collar and temporary jobs, effects of the knowledge explosion on on-the-job training and lateral management, and impact of resources conservation, including fewer goods-providing jobs, new jobs in conservation technology, and more service-providing jobs; (3) the career education curriculum and its impact on knowledge (task-oriented curriculum, lifelong education, community-based education, and multimedia curriculum), on skills (including thinking and communication skills), and on attitudes (to foster the personal qualities demanded of a future worker); and (4) suggestions for preparing educators and the community prior to implementing the career education program. Sample units are included to provide examples of career education curriculum for various age levels and to exemplify principles discussed in the paper. (TA)