Canada's school-to-work transition efforts have failed too many youth and adults because there has not been a framework for essential life and work skills for all to learn. These skills are needed to complement the academic and technical skills now required for completion of formal education and training. The Blueprint for Life and Work Design, adopted from the national career guidelines, are an attempt to solve this problem. The blueprint core competencies are sorted into three areas (personal management, learning and work exploration, and life-work building). Another competency deals with developing abilities for building positive relationships in life and work. Adopting such a framework and implementing curricula such as The Real Game series will help all ages master these skills. (Contains 17 references.) (JDM)