Program Pathways

All courses are organized into specialty-based pathways. Program participants can take courses from any pathway, in any sequence, to meet the unique needs of your organization. If you are looking for new employees or to transition existing employees into one of the specialties we offer, we can also assist and coordinate customized apprenticeship opportunities to ensure their success.

Have questions or want to discuss this opportunity with us further? Contact us by phone at (309) 690-7577 or email us today!

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

  AWS Academy Cloud Foundations

  Our course is designed to be engaging and hands-on, emphasizing key AWS services and best practices in cloud architecture. You will learn from experienced instructors, gaining insights that can be immediately applied in the cloud computing industry. During this program, you will:

  • Drive business growth by implementing AWS solutions that expand proficiency in cloud computing;
  • Design effective cloud infrastructure; and
  • Enhance operational efficiency with cloud resources.

  AWS Certified Cloud Practicioner

  This is a foundational certification. Earning this certification validates high-level understanding of AWS Cloud, services, and terminology. This certification serves as an entry point to a cloud career for candidates from non-IT backgrounds switching to cloud. It is also ideal for line-of-business employees (sales, product management, project management, etc.) who want to gain cloud literacy and communicate more effectively with technical teams and customers.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: This course is aimed at learners who are looking to get started with AWS. There are no prerequisites or prior experience required.
  • Length of Program: Online Anytime, up to 5 months.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)

  Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned professional, mastering the basics in Microsoft Azure AI can help you jump-start your career and prepare you to dive deeper into the many technical opportunities Azure AI offers. This certification is an opportunity for you to demonstrate knowledge of machine learning and AI concepts and related Microsoft Azure services. It is intended for you if you have both technical and non-technical backgrounds. Data science and software engineering experience are not required. However, you would benefit from having awareness of Client-server applications and basic cloud concepts.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Google AI Essentials

  Google AI Essentials is a self-paced course designed to help people across roles and industries get essential AI skills to boost their productivity. In this course you’ll learn how to use AI tools to generate ideas and content, how to help research, organize, and make more informed decisions, how to help speed up daily work tasks, like drafting email responses, and how to use AI responsibly by identifying AI’s potential biases and avoiding harm.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience required.
  • Length of Program: 2 weeks.

  IBM AI Developer

  This IBM AI Developer Professional Certificate will equip you with sought-after expertise in building AI-powered chatbots and apps and enable you to launch your AI career. During this program, you’ll master the fundamentals of software engineering, AI, generative AI, prompt engineering, HTML, JavaScript and Python programming. Through hands-on labs and projects, you’ll gain practical experience in building AI apps.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience required.
  • Length of Program: 3 months.

  Microsoft Copilot

  In this introductory course, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what generative AI is, how it works, and the diverse range of tasks it can perform. You’ll be introduced to the specific capabilities of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 ecosystems. We’ll showcase how Copilot harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to revolutionize your productivity across various applications.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 3 weeks.
• Support / Help Desk

  CompTIA Tech+

  This program is a pre-career certification that helps students or career changers determine if they have a competency for information technology and if it is the right career path for them.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Duration: 6 weeks.

  CompTIA A+

  Certified professionals are proven problem solvers. They support today’s core technologies from security to networking to virtualization and more. CompTIA A+ is an industry standard for launching IT careers into today’s digital world.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Some hands-on IT experience, gained either through IT courses or IT job experience, is beneficial.
  • Length of Program: 8 weeks.

  CompTIA Network+

  CompTIA Network+ helps develop a career in IT infrastructure covering troubleshooting, configuring, and managing networks. CompTIA Network+ validates the technical skills needed to securely establish, maintain and troubleshoot the essential networks that businesses rely on. Unlike other vendor-specific networking certifications, CompTIA Network+ prepares candidates to support networks on any platform, with a focus on network services, basic datacenter, cloud, and virtual networking concepts.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: CompTIA A+ Certification and a minimum of 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience working in a junior network administrator/network support technician job role.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  CompTIA Security+

  CompTIA Security+ opens the door to your cybersecurity career! Security+ is one of the most industry-recognized cybersecurity credentials in the world, validating the baseline skills necessary to perform core security functions. This program establishes the core knowledge required of any cybersecurity role and provides a springboard to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. Security+ incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: CompTIA Network+ and 2 years of experience in IT administration with a security focus.
  • Length of Program: 5 weeks.

  Google AI Essentials

  Google AI Essentials is a self-paced course designed to help people across roles and industries get essential AI skills to boost their productivity. In this course you’ll learn how to use AI tools to generate ideas and content, how to help research, organize, and make more informed decisions, how to help speed up daily work tasks, like drafting email responses, and how to use AI responsibly by identifying AI’s potential biases and avoiding harm.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 2 weeks.

  ITIL 4 Foundation

  The ITIL V4 Foundation training teaches you the fundamentals of Service Value System (SVS) and the four dimensions of service management. You’ll be learning about the interconnected elements of people, processes, technology, and value streams for better service management. You’ll explore the industry-wide best practices for General Management, Continual Improvement, Service Level Management, Technical Management and more. This course will expand your knowledge and project management skills for technology enabled products and services.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 5 months.
• Cybersecurity

  Cybersecurity Associate

  Certified Cybersecurity Associate is an accessible, beginner-level program designed to introduce non-technical learners to core cybersecurity principles and career pathways. Delivered through three stackable microcredentials, Foundations, Systems and Operations, the program combines 40% interactive learning with 60% hands-on labs, and culminates in an applied exam that emphasizes real-world readiness. Certified Cybersecurity Associate provides a comprehensive entry point into cybersecurity without requiring prior technical experience and can be completed in 4 months. Certified Cybersecurity Associate is composed of three stackable microcredentials:

  • Applied Cybersecurity – Foundations
  • Applied Cybersecurity – Systems
  • Applied Cybersecurity – Operations

  Certified Cybersecurity Analyst

  Certified Cybersecurity Analyst (CCA) is a technical, beginner-level course that builds on foundational knowledge to prepare learners for real-time monitoring, incident detection and operational cyber defense. Designed for individuals with basic IT literacy or those who have completed the Certified Cybersecurity Associate, this course blends interactive content with real-world labs to simulate job tasks performed in a SOC environment and can be completed in 4 months. Each micro-credential includes approximately 60% hands-on lab activities and 40% self-paced learning content, along with an applied certification exam. Certified Cybersecurity Analyst is composed of three stackable micro-credentials:

  • Applied Cybersecurity – Fundamentals
  • Applied Cybersecurity – Essentials
  • Applied Cybersecurity – Analyst

  Google Cybersecurity

  Launch your career in Cloud Cybersecurity, build job-ready skills and must-have AI skills for an in-demand career. This certificate program prepares learners for entry-level roles in cloud cybersecurity. Get hands-on with Google Cloud tools like Cloud Shell, Cloud Storage, and Security Command Center, tackling real-world cybersecurity problems head-on. All content is crafted by seasoned Google experts in cloud and cybersecurity tech. Beyond training and labs, you’ll complete a capstone project and create work examples to showcase your new skills. This certificate builds on your existing foundational knowledge of cybersecurity fundamentals (no degree needed), and we’ve even got you covered with optional refreshers on network security, threat analysis, SQL, and incident detection, as well the importance of integrating AI into your path forward.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: While there are no required prerequisites, it’s helpful for learners to be familiar with foundational cybersecurity concepts, skills, and tools. Supplemental content on these concepts is included within the certificate for learners who do not have this prior knowledge.
  • Length of Program: 3 months.
• Data Analytics and Data Management

  Data Analytics+

  Upon finishing the non-credit courses in SQL, Power BI, and Data Analytics, you’ll earn the Data Analytics+ credential. This experience will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills to excel in data analytics, paving the way for new career opportunities or helping you advance in your current role. During this program, you will:

  • Design and publish a business dashboard (virtually) to present key performance indicators (KPIs) and business metrics;
  • Identify and apply the four phases of data analytics and six phases of data mining to transform raw data into valuable business insights; and
  • Implement the components of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics to enhance business forecasting, troubleshoot operational issues, and optimize decision-making.

  Data Management

  The Database Management course provides introductory vendor-neutral training for individuals planning to pursue product-focused database specialization. This course introduces you to DB2, Oracle Database 11g, MS SQL and MySQL. You will also learn about Structured Query Language (SQL) and Database optimization through normalization.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Google Analytics

  This fully online program provides all the skills you need to find an entry-level job in the field of data analytics.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 3 months.

  Python 1

  If you want to learn how to program but have little or no experience, you have chosen the right language. That is because Python has a simple syntax that makes it easier to learn than other programming languages. At the same time, it is a powerful language that provides all the features needed to master any programming language.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Python 2

  This course will introduce the core data structures of the Python programming language. We will move past the basics of procedural programming and explore how we can use the Python built-in data structures such as lists, dictionaries, and tuples to perform increasingly complex data analysis.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Python 1
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Power BI

  This certificate is designed to improve analytical skills by recognizing various types of data, transforming raw data into metadata, and creating useful business visualizations of that data with Microsoft’s Business Intelligence, data visualization tool, Power BI.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: This course is aimed at learners who are looking to get started with Microsoft Power BI. There are no prerequisites, and any computer user should be able to complete the course.
  • Length of Program: 8 weeks.

  SQL 1

  Structured Query Language (SQL) is the language used to work with databases and the information stored within them. This course will provide a working knowledge of the basic forms of SQL, including how to select and update data from common table formats. Learners will create a database

  and use SQL to manipulate the data within it. Students will need a Windows computer to use SQL Server Management Studio.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  SQL 2

  Structured Query Language (SQL) is the language used to work with databases and the information stored within them. This course is designed to build upon basic SQL knowledge. After completing this course you will have a better understanding of how tables and databases work, as well as advanced capabilities in querying the information that is stored in a SQL database effectively.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Students should have knowledge of structured query language and SQL 1 is recommended.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.
• Healthcare IT

  Electronic Health Records

  This entry-level certificate course provides an overview of EHR and its role in healthcare workflow and patient outcomes. Learners will have the opportunity to explore EHR terminology and concepts such as legal and regulatory requirements, the impact on quality and safety measures, meaningful use, and interoperability. This certificate course is designed for people entering the healthcare field, those who seek to transition into an informatics role, or those who wish to gain new knowledge about the role of EHR in healthcare.

  Healthcare Informatics (with AI Component)

  This entry-level certificate course provides an overview of HI legislation, principles and types of informatics, concepts of privacy, compliance, safety, and metrics, and fundamental terminology. This certificate course is designed for people entering the healthcare field, those who seek to transition into an informatics role, or those who wish to gain new knowledge about the role of HI in healthcare.

  Instructional Design for Healthcare

  Over the course of 15 weeks, Dr. Dakota Horn, an Instructor of Communication in the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, will guide you through a fast-paced curriculum focused on new and innovative instructional design methods. The Instructional Design for Insurance Certificate integrates engaging videos and lessons on your own time, 1:1 scheduled interactions with Dr. Dakota Horn, and a scaffolded project throughout the 15 weeks that will result in a completed design blueprint for real-world use.

  Instructional Design for Insurance

  Over the course of 15 weeks, Dr. Dakota Horn, an Instructor of Communication in the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts, will guide you through a fast-paced curriculum focused on new and innovative instructional design methods. The Instructional Design for Insurance Certificate integrates engaging videos and lessons on your own time, 1:1 scheduled interactions with Dr. Horn, and a scaffolded project throughout the 15 weeks that will result in a completed design blueprint for real-world use.

  Telehealth

  In this self-paced program, created by a former nursing professor at Bradley University, you’ll go through a fast-paced curriculum that helps you learn how to provide virtual care in a way that is efficient, effective, and ethical. With guidance from your instructor, you’ll finish the program with new tools and skills to help you work in the telehealth field.
• Industrial

  Critical roles in production and manufacturing require IT skills to be effectively and safely performed. We offer several IT programs as well as customized apprenticeships associated with industrial and design applications including:

  • CNC Operator
  • CNC Programmer
  • Industrial Maintenance
• Microsoft

  365 Administrator (MS-102)

  This MS-102 training covers how to deploy and manage Microsoft 365 in cloud and hybrid environments. From governance and compliance to migration and deployment, this MS-102 training prepares you for planning, implementing, and managing Microsoft 365 solutions in a large organization.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: This course is considered associate-level Microsoft 365 training, which means it was designed for systems administrators. This skills course is designed for those with three to five years of experience with productivity and collaboration platforms.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  365 Fundamentals

  Learn how the productivity, collaboration, and endpoint management solutions through Microsoft 365 empower people and organizations to achieve more. In addition to validating your knowledge of Microsoft 365 capabilities, earning this certification makes it clear to your organization that you understand the benefits of adopting cloud services, the basics of a Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud model, and the value of implementing Microsoft 365 cloud services.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Azure Administrator

  This course is for Azure Administrators. The Azure Administrator implements, manages, and monitors identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks in a cloud environment. The Azure Administrator will provision, size, monitor, and adjust resources as appropriate. This course teaches IT Professionals how to manage their Azure subscriptions, secure identities, administer the infrastructure, configure virtual networking, connect Azure and on-premises sites, manage network traffic, implement storage solutions, create and scale virtual machines, implement web apps and containers, back up and share data, and monitor solutions.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Completion of AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) or equivalent experience.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)

  Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned professional, mastering the basics in Microsoft Azure AI can help you jump-start your career and prepare you to dive deeper into the many technical opportunities Azure AI offers. This certification is an opportunity for you to demonstrate knowledge of machine learning and AI concepts and related Microsoft Azure services. It is intended for you if you have both technical and non-technical backgrounds. Data science and software engineering experience are not required. However, you would benefit from having awareness of Client-server applications and basic cloud concepts.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Azure Fundamentals

  Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned professional, mastering the basics in Microsoft Azure can help you jump-start your career and prepare you to dive deeper into the many technical opportunities Azure offers. The certification validates your basic knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Azure. Candidates should be able to demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of cloud concepts, along with Azure services, workloads, security, privacy, pricing, and support.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Microsoft Copilot

  In this introductory course, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what generative AI is, how it works, and the diverse range of tasks it can perform. You’ll be introduced to the specific capabilities of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 ecosystems. We’ll showcase how Copilot harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to revolutionize your productivity across various applications.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 3 weeks.

  Power BI

  This certificate is designed to improve analytical skills by recognizing various types of data, transforming raw data into metadata, and creating useful business visualizations of that data with Microsoft’s Business Intelligence, data visualization tool, Power BI.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: This course is aimed at learners who are looking to get started with Microsoft Power BI. There are no prerequisites, and any computer user should be able to complete the course.
  • Length of Program: 8 weeks.

  SharePoint

  This program builds skill in the use of SharePoint, with a focus on navigating team sites, managing lists and libraries, and creating columns, content types, and views. These sharpened, expanded skills will be valuable for any individual seeking to become a go-to user of SharePoint.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Teams Administrator

  Microsoft Teams administrators manage and maintain internal and external collaboration and communication solutions using Teams and Microsoft 365. Teams administrators are responsible for configuring and managing teams, channels, chat, apps, calling, meetings, and events. They manage phone numbers and services for Teams Phone. They manage the operational aspects of Teams clients and devices. Teams administrators collaborate with owners of other workloads, including networking, identity, licensing, information management, and user adoption. They work with collaboration and communication system engineers to implement advanced Teams Phone and Teams Rooms scenarios. They plan and implement governance, security, and compliance for Teams.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Candidates for this exam are Microsoft Teams administrators who deliver secure, efficient, and effective internal and external collaboration and communication capabilities with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365.
  • Length of Program: 40 hours.
• Networking

  CISCO Certified Network Associate

  This training course prepares you for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) 200-301 exam, a foundational certification validating your competence in core networking concepts. It covers all exam objectives, including hands-on skills in Ethernet LANs, command-line interface (CLI), LAN switching, networking protocols, subnetting, and more. It will go beyond rote memorization with real-world scenarios and learning resources that will solidify your understanding.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: CompTIA Net+.
  • Length of Program: 20 weeks.

  CISCO Certified Network Professional (CCNA Prerequisite)

  CompTIA Linux+: CompTIA Linux+ validates the competencies required of an early career systems administrator supporting Linux systems. This certification ensures that IT professionals, software developers, cybersecurity engineers, and penetration testers have these necessary skills to support today’s tech systems.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: 12 months of hands-on experience working with Linux servers. CompTIA A+, Network+ and Server+ recommended.
  • Length of Program: 8 weeks.

  CompTIA Network+

  CompTIA Network+ helps develop a career in IT infrastructure covering troubleshooting, configuring, and managing networks. CompTIA Network+ validates the technical skills needed to securely establish, maintain and troubleshoot the essential networks that businesses rely on. Unlike other vendor-specific networking certifications, CompTIA Network+ prepares candidates to support networks on any platform, with a focus on network services, basic datacenter, cloud, and virtual networking concepts.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: CompTIA A+ Certification and a minimum of 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience working in a junior network administrator/network support technician job role.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.
• Programming and Web Development

  C++

  This micro-credential program is a good introduction for those who have never programmed before. The program provides a thorough introduction to the basic syntax and structure of the C++ programming language. This program focuses on creating C++ applications that define variables and arrays and that use if statements, switch/case statements, for loops and while loops. Participants will also create functions and pass information into functions by value and by reference using pointers and will build applications made up of several files.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 5 months.

  C#

  You will be introduced to the concepts of object-oriented programming using C#. No previous computer programming experience is required. This program focuses on the fundamentals of .NET programming. Participants will create C# applications using variables, conditional statements, looping statements, arrays, and functions.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 5 months.

  Google UX Design

  In the UX Design program, you will design how people interact with websites. You will learn about human motivation so you can design websites that support user interests and meet their needs, while achieving the company’s goals for the website.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 3 months.

  Java 1

  This micro-credential program provides an introduction to the concepts of object-oriented programming using Java 9.0. Participants will learn fundamentals of Java programming and create applications that use variables, conditional statements, looping statements, arrays and functions. Java SE 9.0 and NetBeans 9.0 may be used to follow along with the course content.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Java 2

  This class is a continuation of Java 1. We will learn and explore more advanced topics of object-oriented programming with Java. At the end of this class, you can use Java to develop projects like mobile applications. You will also be able to understand Java object specifications and use objects and frameworks created by other developers.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Java 1.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  JavaScript

  This JavaScript course teaches developers how to use the features of the JavaScript language to design client-side solutions. Students will understand and use the most popular applications of JavaScript. These specialized web language skills can help students begin or grow a career in advanced web development and technologies. This course will teach JavaScript code development, including writing programs and writing script for the JavaScript object model. It will also cover web site implementation, including authoring and scripting, web content creation, web management, and digital media tools.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience needed.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Web Front End 1

  This course teaches essential Web page development skills. You will learn to develop Web sites using Hypertext Markup Language version 5 (HTML5) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You will learn to write code manually, as well as use graphical user interface (GUI) authoring tools. You will also work with images, create hyperlinks, and add tables, forms, video and audio to your Web pages. If you want the knowledge and skills to design or improve Websites, this course is for you.

  In addition to learning about HTML5 and CSS coding, you will learn how to use HTML5 and JavaScript Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to extend the functionality of Web pages, such as geolocation, drag-and-drop, canvas and offline Web applications. Other topics include validating your HTML and CSS code, employing search engine optimization (SEO), using style sheets extensively to format Web page content, and implementing fundamental design concepts. Throughout the course, you will learn how Web sites are developed as managed projects. You will also identify e-commerce solutions and relate Web site development to 

  • Recommended Prior Experience: No prior experience
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

  Web Front End 2

  This second Web Front End course, emphasis will be placed on more advanced topics. Topics include advanced CSS, web project management, and developing client websites.

  • Recommended Prior Experience: Web Front End 1.
  • Length of Program: 6 weeks.

This website was prepared by Illinois Central College using Federal funds under award ED25OIE0G0145 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.