In this paper, I discuss a working concept that I have termed “pedagogical labor,” in order to offer an approach to studying educational processes beyond the exclusive domain of schooling. Two key bodies of literature inform my theorization of this concept: (1) social theories of learning in education; and (2) emergent semiotic and linguistic theories on social infrastructure. I situate this conceptual framework within the context of Indonesia, where the central government has engaged in ongoing efforts to “develop Indonesia from the margins.” Despite recognizing the existence of high economic potential at Indonesia’s margins, however, development experts have identified a severe education-to-workforce skills gap. They further cite studies that show Indonesian youth are moving in the opposite direction—away from the peripheries and toward Indonesia’s center. The government’s goal of “develop[ing] Indonesia form the margins,” these experts conclude, can only be met if education quality improves in the outer islands and if educated outer Indonesian youth are enticed to remain at and provide labor within their own “peripheral” communities. In light of these issues, my research seeks to examine the communicative practices of social actors within the institutional domains of vocational education and workforce development at three interconnected scales in order to discern how outer island youth are being “taught” about the emerging economic potentials at Indonesia’s margins. By tracing semiotic activities across scales, I seek to document the collective “pedagogical labor” that goes into the making of a new, skilled labor market, upon which other economic activities can take place.