Danville Area Community College and the DACC District 507 Tech Prep Consortium have received the following awards:
 | U.S. Department of Educations's Excellence in Tech Prep Education Award |
| American Association of Community Colleges' Excellence in Education Dale Parnell Tech Prep Award |
The Parnell Tech Prep Awards support communities across the nation by honoring and promoting model tech prep programs involving high schools, community colleges, and employers. The awards, now in their eighth year, are given annually to three community colleges and their consortium partners for outstanding achievements in the development and implementation of tech prep programs.
In addition, each year, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education honors one the consortia with the Excellence in Tech Prep Education Award.
Key Features cited in the DACC Tech Prep initiative include:- Stakeholders working together--secondary education, postsecondary education, and business, industry and labor.
- Tech Prep Youth Apprenticeship
- Krupp Gerlach Fast-Track Apprenticeship
- Tech Prep Student Leadership Academy
- DACC Business & Economic Institute's Worksite Training program
- Instructor Mentors at the postsecondary level
- Occupational program competency guarantees
- Businesses paying for tuition, work experience and providing guaranteed full-time employment for apprentices
- Mervis Industries Tech Prep Scholarship
- Business driven curriculum
- Business driven staff development (SCANS, educators to business sites, workplace applications.)
- Career exploration activities: Career Expo, Job Shadowing; Job Fair; co-op
- Evaluation efforts: University of Illinois Student Recruitment Benchmarking; NCRVE Study--How Tech Prep/STW Affects Students; and CORD/Gallup Organization School-to-Work Index and Improvement Program
The Danville Area Community College District 507 Tech Prep Consortium was selected as one of the top ten Tech Prep projects in the nation by the National Tech Prep Network. The national Tech Prep Network and the Gallup Organiza tion spent two days at DACC gathering information from eight focus groups on "elements" which have made DACC a leader in the Tech Prep arena. This input was used to develop a National Tech Prep/School-to-Work Index.
| AWARDS | |
| 1999 - Connections Awards: ETC/Tech Prep Summer Educator Academy |
| 1998 - U.S. Department of Education Excellence in Tech Prep Award |
| 1998 - American Association of Community College's Dale Parnell Tech Prep Award |
| 1998 - Connections Awards: Classroom Applications From Industry; Postsecondary Apprenticeship |
| 1997 - NCRVE Study: Transitioning Tech Prep Students to the Postsecondary Level |
| 1997 - Connections Awards: Student Leadership Academy; Worksite Training |
| 1996 - Tech Prep/School-to-Work Index: A Center of Occupational Research and Development (CORD) and Gallup Organization Collaboration; Pil ot Site |
| 1996 - Connections Award: Tech Prep Apprenticeship; DACC Staff Development Kickoff |
| 1995 - ISBE Business-Education Honorable Mention |
| 1995 - Connections Award: Tech Prep Tours; Teepak Youth Apprenticeship; Palmer Bank; Apprenticeship Program; North District Advisory Counc il; South District Advisory Council |
| 1994 - Connections Award: Articulation |
| National Tech Prep Roster |
This is the fifth year the Illinois State Council on Business-Education Partnerships honored the work of outstanding partnerships from throughout the state. These exemplary partnerships represented the full spectrum of partnership options, including small , medium, and large schools, districts, and businesses.
Devro-Teepak, Inc. received a Special Superintendent's Award for special efforts in Tech Prep from Dr. Joseph Spagnolo, State Superintendent of Education. Devro-TeePak representatives accepting the award were:
- Larry Smith - Danville Technical Training Manager
- Ken Orze - Danville Operations Manager
- Zan Whitsett - Director of Corporate Human Resources