TCD History
Technology Center of DuPage opened in its current Addison facility in late December of the 1974-75 school year, under the acronym DAVEA (DuPage Area Vocational Education System). It was developed to provide DuPage high school students with advanced vocational education programs, preparing them for skilled entry-level employment after high school. A student’s grade was based on his/her performance of occupational skills and workplace skills.
When the State of Illinois reorganized its vocational education delivery system in 1984, a new regional governing body was formed – the DuPage Area Occupational Education System (DAOES) – and the DAVEA acronym became a name: Davea. The focus was still on vocational education, but with the idea that a student was no longer being prepared for a job, but an evolving career path.
The explosion of technology in the workplace, combined with a competitive global marketplace, created a demand for employees with high-tech skills, critical thinking and communication skills, an ability to learn and adapt, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. As a result, more Davea students were continuing their education after high school, whether through college, technical schools, or advanced industry-based training. In practice as well as philosophy, high school vocational training had become “career & technical education,” no longer the track for the non-college bound.
To reflect these changes, Davea’s name was changed in 1998 to Technology Center of DuPage. It continues to prepare students for the next step after graduation (usually a combination of post-secondary education and work) and to expect lifelong learning as the key to a solid career path. Toward that end, Technology Center programs offer students the opportunity to earn transferable college credit concurrently with high school elective credit (“dual credit”).
When the State of Illinois reorganized its vocational education delivery system in 1984, a new regional governing body was formed – the DuPage Area Occupational Education System (DAOES) – and the DAVEA acronym became a name: Davea. The focus was still on vocational education, but with the idea that a student was no longer being prepared for a job, but an evolving career path.
The explosion of technology in the workplace, combined with a competitive global marketplace, created a demand for employees with high-tech skills, critical thinking and communication skills, an ability to learn and adapt, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. As a result, more Davea students were continuing their education after high school, whether through college, technical schools, or advanced industry-based training. In practice as well as philosophy, high school vocational training had become “career & technical education,” no longer the track for the non-college bound.
To reflect these changes, Davea’s name was changed in 1998 to Technology Center of DuPage. It continues to prepare students for the next step after graduation (usually a combination of post-secondary education and work) and to expect lifelong learning as the key to a solid career path. Toward that end, Technology Center programs offer students the opportunity to earn transferable college credit concurrently with high school elective credit (“dual credit”).