There is currently more focus than ever on the importance of earning a college degree. At the same time, many students and parents are dubious that America's expensive, one-size-fits-all higher education system can adequately educate students for an ever more diverse and sophisticated world of work. There are other educational options that are…

Partnerships between community colleges and employers to create apprenticeships have been around for decades. These traditionally have covered fields like the building trades--electrical, construction and others--as well as heavy manufacturing like the automobile industry. Inspired partly by a new federal apprenticeship consortium--and $175…

This document, which is intended as a guide for workforce preparation program providers, details the Illinois occupational skill standards for programs preparing students for employment in occupations in the (vehicle) collision repair technician cluster. It begins with a brief overview of the Illinois perspective on occupational skill standards…

These cluster matrices provide duties and tasks that form the basis of instructional content for secondary, postsecondary, and adult training programs industrial health occupations. The 14 clusters (and the job titles included in each cluster) are as follows: (1) construction (bricklayer, carpenter, building maintenance worker, electrician,…

This document, which is intended as a guide for work force preparation program providers, details the Illinois occupational skill standards for programs preparing students for employment in occupations in the automotive technician cluster. The document begins with overviews of the Illinois perspective on occupational skill standards and…