One of the hallmarks of today’s world is the rapid and relentless rate of change. There are few places where change is making bigger inroads than in work and workplaces. In developed economies like Australia, workers need new skills to be able to capitalise on the knowledge-intensive nature of the new world of work. This poses some significant questions not only about how ready young people are for existing workplaces, but about how they can be best equipped for work that cannot yet be identified or defined. The Australian Government is introducing a new course within the Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10, written in response to key work-related issues facing young people today and in the future. The draft curriculum is now open for consultation. Distinct from VET in Schools, Work Studies does not aim to equip students for specific jobs or professions. Rather, it is an applied learning course intended to help students make use of their discipline-based and cross-curricular learning in the context of a workplace. The article describes the rationale for the course, and how it will operate.