Britain faces a wages crisis, underpinned by low productivity. For the last seven years, people's wages have risen more slowly than the prices in the shops. People also often become "stuck" in low pay and cannot advance their careers. This paper argues for a new National Advancement Service, providing people in low paid work a Career Coach and Personal Budget to put together a personalised package of support to build their career and boost their earnings. This new service would be an "engine of deficit reduction" (helping people boost their wages and so increasing income tax receipts); a "vehicle of public service reform" (helping to maximise the impact of investment in skills); and a "supporter of aspiration" (helping individuals to achieve their ambitions and get on in life). Thinking of it like a game of snakes and ladders, the aim is to better help people find and climb the ladders, and to work with employers to create more ladders. The National Advancement Service would not solve all challenges in the UK labour market for employers and individuals, but it could make a significant difference, when delivered in partnership with other services, and increase the impact of existing public investment.