Web Resources

Various projects and services are available to support Partnerships for College and Career Success and Postsecondary Perkins entities to assist them in fulfilling their mission to provide high quality programs. The resources listed below are designed to meet the diverse needs of local programs by offering expert leadership and guidance and making accessible various educational leaders from around the state and nation.

Office of Community College Research and Leadership

The Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) was established in 1989 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. OCCRL is affiliated with the Department of Educational Organization and Leadership of the College of Education. Their mission is to provide research, leadership, and service to community college educators and assist in improving community college education policy and practice, particularly in the Illinois community college system.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and OCCRL are partnering to develop "Programs of Study" aligned with the federal Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) legislation being implemented throughout the state at the K-12 and postsecondary levels. The partners are collaborating to devise a plan for Illinois that will engage all the necessary partners in a collaborative approach to implementation of programs of study that emphasize academic and CTE courses that allow students to pursue career pathways.

Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support

Throughout its over 30 year history, ICSPS has provided professional development, publications and technical assistance to Career and Technical Education (CTE) administrators, coordinators, and instructors. Their services to CTE are designed to promote the success of special populations learners enrolled in CTE secondary and postsecondary classes. ICSPS also provides support to efforts to recruit special populations into CTE studies and to ensure skill instruction which will promote well-selected, satisfying, self-sufficient employment. ICSPS is primarily funded through Illinois Community College Board and Illinois State Board of Education.

Nontraditional Occupation Lists developed for Females, Males and STEM by Clusters and Pathways can now be accessed at the following link http://icspsnewsroom.blogspot.com/2009/09/nontraditional-and-stem-careers-by.html

Illinois Office of Educational Services

The IOES specializes in providing resources and services for those who plan, deliver, and administer Career and Technical Education (CTE). New programs have evolved based on the needs of today's CTE educators. We know educators are moving forward with implementing rigorous CTE programs aligned to standards that provide the skills and the knowledge needed in today's job market. IOES provides resources and services to assist with:

Illinois Career Resource Network

The Illinois Career Resource Network (ICRN) offers two resources for college students and adults online: the Career Information System (CIS) and Career Click. They both have descriptions of hundreds of occupations divided into the familiar 16 clusters (see http://www.careerclusters.org/resources/web/pos.cfm ).

Each CIS occupation lists helpful high school classes, the licensure or certification required, and program of study. It then links to colleges and schools that have the program in Illinois and nationwide. CIS has listings of over 3,000 financial aid sources and a section on apprenticeship programs for learning while earning a salary. For the undecided there are assessments of interests, skills, preferences and values that show which occupations may be the best match. Results can be stored in My CIS Portfolio.

Career Click has less on educational programs but more on employment figures and projected demand by areas of the state. It has an excellent listing of suggested skills for each occupation which helps adults in transition put words to what they already know. Students are more likely to stay in school when their efforts have a specific goal. Career and technical education can be the pathway to a successful and lucrative employment; CIS and Career Click give the information to help students make informed choices.

llinois Department of Employment Security

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is the state's premier source for workforce and labor market information, including employment statistics, industry and occupational projections, wages and demographic characteristics. IDES collects, analyzes and disseminates this data in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and Employment Training Administration. The data help monitor and forecast national, statewide and local economic trends to assist in the development of public policy. They also help employers and business associations, job seekers and labor organizations, students and parents, teachers and counselors, and elected officials and economic developers make informed career, education and economic development decisions.

Workforce and Labor Market information, data, reports and publications are available at http://www.ILWorkInfo.com then select LMI Source or Workforce Info Center. Of particular interest to Community Colleges are:

Illinois State Board of Education

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Division in the Center for Teaching and Learning provides leadership and technical assistance to local districts, regional and state agency staff to support quality CTE including career development. Occupational preparation, and academic improvement. Division activities include instructional program improvement, regional CTE plans and grant approval, performance data analysis and improvement, and interagency cooperation to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of statewide CTE programs and activities.

Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC)

"The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) is a membership and service association comprising more than 140 hospitals and health care organizations working together, since 1935, to improve the delivery of health care services in the Chicago area. The Council's Institutional members consist of hospitals (and their integrated delivery systems) in the eight-county Chicago area. Associate members include hospitals outside these counties, as well as physician groups, nursing homes, outpatient treatment centers, insurers, medical schools and other health care organizations.

MCHC has served as the liaison between business/industry representatives and the nursing program of study pilot sites. The Workforce Development department at MCHC has partnered with the College of DuPage (COD), John A. Logan College (JALC), ISBE, ICCB and IBHE to develop and distribute an industry survey that was used to validate the health sciences cluster level knowledge and skills. Additionally, MCHC has served as the host for several meetings between COD and JALC, and provided a page on our website to post and share meeting materials and other group documents. Moving forward, MCHC will continue to serve as a voice for business/industry partners with the Health Sciences Career Cluster."

National Career Pathways Network

The National Tech Prep Network (NTPN) is expanding to become the National Career Pathways Network (NCPN). NCPN will continue NTPN's sixteen-year legacy in providing information, support, and professional development. Because of recent changes brought about by Perkins IV, NCPN is expanding their focus to include programs that fall under the broader classification of Career Pathways (what Perkins IV calls "programs of study"). In so doing, they will be building upon a process that began when CORD published Career Pathways: Education with a Purpose and, more recently, Adult Career Pathways: Providing a Second Chance in Public Education.

NTPN (now NCPN) members are teachers, administrators, counselors, employers, and community leaders involved in high school and college career preparation programs. They are committed to helping students make smooth transitions from secondary to postsecondary to rewarding careers. They are passionate about improving the educational and economic success of the people in their communities, both traditional students and adults who need and deserve a second chance in public education.

Career Clusters

The States' Career Clusters Initiative (SCCI) is an initiative established under the National Career Technical Education Foundation (NCTEF) to provide Career Clusters as a tool for seamless transition from education to career in this era of changing workplace demands. SCCI helps states as they connect career technical education (CTE) to education, workforce preparation, and economic development. To this end, SCCI develops new products and promotes information-sharing, techniques, and methods to aid the development and implementation of Career Clusters within states.

Some specific examples of SCCI's activities include hosting the annual National Career Clusters Institute; providing direct technical assistance to states that are at varying stages of implementing Career Clusters; serving as a clearinghouse for Career Clusters information via this website; building relationships with business, labor, education and other organizations by recruiting and supporting Cluster Leaders; and working with National Advisory Committees for content review of Cluster Knowledge and Skills Statements.

Illinois Community College Board
Illinois Community College Board Perkins Homepage
Illinois Community College Board Fiscal Management Manual (PDF file)