What Is Tech Prep?
Tech Prep is a "High School-Plus” program that prepares students for high-skill, high-wage careers. Each student has an individual plan that blends rigorous academics with career-technical courses.

Tech Prep is a progressive education program connecting high school studies to at least two years of postsecondary study in a college, technical school or apprenticeship.

It builds strong academic foundations, equipping students with essential skills in math, science, technology, and written and oral communication. In addition, it gives students the ability to solve problems, think critically and work well with others.

What Are the Benefits of Tech Prep?
The level of education and training needed for jobs today has increased dramatically from previous decades. Most high-paying careers today require education beyond high school.

Tech Prep gives students a solid foundation for college or other postsecondary education. It gives students choices they may not have known were available. It gives them access to education, skills and jobs.

Tech Prep gives students a career focus for their education. Students no longer drift through school without clear goals or without any real vision of their future. Students can set their sights on a career, discover what it takes to get there and begin preparing for a successful future.

The transition from high school to post-secondary education is smoother because of the sequential progression of course work developed cooperatively by schools and employers. These career pathways also give students the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school, thereby saving tuition dollars and completing career requirements sooner.

Tech Prep generates higher graduation rates.
93 percent of Tech Prep students graduate from high school compared to an 82 percent graduation rate for all students.

Workplace learning available through Tech Prep helps students see how their academic subjects are actually used in the work world and why they are important to future success.

Why Was Tech Prep Created?
In the 1980s, studies evaluating our nationwide education system found that students were not acquiring the academic knowledge and skills needed to get good jobs. The needs of the workplace have changed dramatically in the past decades. In 1950, at the height of the Industrial Age, 60 percent of the jobs needed only unskilled labor. Just 20 percent required skilled labor. Today those numbers are reversed. There are increasing needs for skilled labor while the number of jobs for persons with minimal skills continues to decline.

Federal legislation in 1990 created Tech Prep to help meet the needs of both students and employers in the rapidly changing economy. It creates a better-prepared work force for our high-tech global economy.

Who Should Be Interested in Tech Prep?
Tech Prep encompasses a wide range of high tech careers — a list that continues to grow as new jobs emerge. It includes basic career areas such as:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Arts and Communications
• Business and Administration
• Health Care
• Human and Family Services
• Industrial and Engineering Technology

How Many Students Currently Participate in Tech Prep?
Each year there are approximately 80,000 Illinois high school students involved in Tech Prep. These numbers continue to grow as more students learn about the availability and benefits of Tech Prep.

How Do Students Sign Up for Tech Prep?
Illinois high schools offer guidance services to help students make sound academic and career choices and to select appropriate core courses and work-based learning experiences. Students can learn more about Tech Prep and sign up for the program through their guidance counselors.