This position paper synthesizes the findings of a review of the literature on career-related education and training and recommends the following nine statements as guiding principles of legislation concerning career-related education and training: lifelong learning programs will be most effective if they combine academic and vocational content; all secondary-level students can benefit from having the option of pursuing a career-related course of study integrating academic and vocational content with work-based learning; postsecondary institutions should continue to broaden and deepen tech prep and other occupational programs; teachers, administrators, counselors and other staff need time and support to develop programs meeting these objectives; career-oriented information, development, and counseling services must be improved, expanded, and integrated into the curriculum; employers must be mobilized to collaborate in providing work-related education and training; performance measurement and standards should be used to gauge program success and guide program improvement; more federal funds should be distributed to low-income areas, and states should be encouraged to develop their own technical assistance programs; and collaboration among career-related education and training programs in different institutions or with different funding sources should be facilitated. (Contains 56 references.) (MN)