SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) announces that all 39 community college districts across the state have signed on to participate in the Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the Expansion of Educational Resources (CAREER Agreement). This agreement allows community colleges to share the career and technical education (CTE) programs of each institution and provide students with access to programs that might otherwise be unavailable to the student in his or her home community college district.
“The CAREER Agreement capitalizes on the finances, facilities, equipment, and personnel of each college to expand student access to degree and certificate programs in high demand career and technical education fields,” said Dr. Karen Hunter Anderson, executive director of the ICCB. “The fact that all 39 districts have signed on to participate in this voluntary agreement reflects the system’s commitment to providing affordable, accessible educational opportunities for students.”
Under the terms of the agreement, students may take advantage of CTE programs offered at any other Illinois community college if the program is not offered in their home district. The students benefit by paying the resident tuition and fee rates, despite living outside the community college district. The agreement also eliminates charges assessed to the student’s in-district community college when a student enrolls pursuant to this agreement at a community college outside his or her district.
The Illinois Community College Board is the state coordinating board for community colleges. Illinois is home to 48 community colleges in 39 districts and has the third largest community college system in the nation serving nearly 850,000 residents each year in credit and non-credit courses.
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