Adult Education & Vocational Services

The mission of the Office of Adult Education and Vocational Services (OAEVS) is to provide to all individuals in custody an educational assessment that will determine the individual's achievement level, mandated basic literacy programming in reading and math for individuals in custody who are below the 6th grade level, a high school diploma instructional program, and an instructional program in Life Skills that will better prepare them for community reintegration upon release. College academic and Career and Technical Education courses are also available to qualifying individuals in custody.

• Adult Basic Education – An open-entry program designed to provide individual instruction in basic math, reading, and life skills to those who test below a 6.0 on the TABE test.
• Advanced Adult Basic Education – An open-entry program designed to improve individuals' basic math, reading, and life skills to improve TABE test results from 6.0 to 8.0 for entry into Adult Secondary Education program.
• Adult Secondary Education - Preparing students to earn a high school diploma through the General Education Development (GED) curriculum and test. An open entry-program which will prepare an individual for the GED test as well as life skills. Program entry is based upon a TABE score of 8.0 or above.
• Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice - High School Diploma Program - Offered at selected sites and provides students under the age of 22 the School District #428 high school diploma.

College Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs offered at select facilities that require a High School Diploma or equivalent include:

• Environmental Health and Safety – offers practical hands-on experience in floor care, cleaning, and general light maintenance.
• Construction Occupations & Management – provides instruction and hands-on experience in trades associated with construction and building maintenance. At Sheridan, this is offered by Home Builders.
• Horticulture – program designed to give the student skills in landscaping, greenhouse operations, and turf management.
• Culinary Arts – instruction in the fundamentals of nutrition and sanitation as well as extensive experience in all phases of food preparation.
• CNC Tool Operations - Computer Numerical Control
• Automotive Technology – provides instruction and hands on training in auto mechanics skills in repair of systems such as fuel, brakes, exhaust, ignition, and cooling.
• Cosmetology– instructional program leading to state certification as a licensed cosmetologist or CTE program offering college certificate.
• Barbering – instructional program teaching the skills and techniques of barbering leading to a licensed certification.
• Manufacturing - Prepares graduates for entry level manufacturing positions. Emphasis is placed upon measurement, hydraulics, pneumatics, electronic motors, and mechanical and electrical drives. Basic skills in blueprint reading and mathematics are also included.
• HVAC - Heating, Vent and Air Conditioning Program includes courses on basic and commercial refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning systems, A.C. and D.C. Electrical, blueprint reading, systems design and sheet metal fabrication.
• Mechatronics - Program is designed to introduce basic skills to work in manufacturing. The courses cover shop mathematics, mechanical components, measuring skills, and how to adjust machines.
• Welding – welding prepares individuals for positions of employment as welders in shielded metal as well as stick welding, gas metal arc welding (MIG), gas tungsten arc welding (TIG), flux cored arc (F caw) welding, and oxyacetylene cutting and welding. Comprehensive training in flat, overhead, and horizontal welding positions is provided. Hands-on instruction is emphasized with additional theory presented in textbook and workbook format.
• Warehousing (Shipping/Receiving) – Individuals learn all functions of warehouse operations including shipping, receiving, forklift operations, and data entry. Skills include OSHA regulations, record keeping, communication, and upkeep.
• Career Technology - Program that provides the basics for the student to seek, gain and keep employment, emphasizing the areas of document development, applications, personal development, and consumer skills to effectively transition students back to society.

Non-certified CTE programs offered at select facilities are:

• Bridge Program – makes instruction in employment skills and career exploration the context for learning basic skills. By connecting basic skills development to learning job skills and exploring career opportunities, the career bridge program helps to make learning relevant for adult students and motivate them to learn. The career bridge curriculum is designed to enable students with literacy levels too low for standard GED prep courses to build essential GED skills. Students who successfully complete the career bridge are ready for community college certificate and associate degree programs and for accelerated GED instruction.

College Degree Programs

College degree programs allow students to obtain associates, bachelors, or master's degrees through acceptable performance in college classes offered by college partners under contract with the Department at each facility. Current post-secondary education partners include:

• Adler College
• Augustana College
• Danville Community College
• Eastern Illinois University
• Kaskaskia Community College
• Knox College
• Lake Land College
• Lewis University
• Northeastern University
• Northwestern University
• North Park University
• Oakton Community College
• University of Illinois

The map below, courtesy of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, displays the locations of IDOC facilities and post-secondary providers.

Library Services

All facilities operate law and general libraries. Law libraries contain Illinois and federal constitutions, statutes, and court decisions, as well as digests, annotations, legal encyclopedias, treatises, textbooks and access through library staff to online sources to assist individuals in custody in researching the law and preparing meaningful initial legal papers in the exercise of their constitutional right of access to state and federal courts. General libraries provide books and magazines so residents may stay informed about current events and find recreational reading materials.

IDOC Colleges Map