The purpose of this study was to identify the academic and technical competencies needed in a manufacturing curriculum, to compare perceptions of faculty and employers toward Tech-Prep and traditional manufacturing curricula, and to examine how the level of involvement in Tech Prep relates to the perceptions of faculty and employers. A questionnaire was used to obtain the data. The population of the study included community college manufacturing technology program faculty and employers in Illinois.

Sixteen academic and sixty-five technical competencies were identified and validated by two groups of experts. The findings of the study suggested that faculty more than employers saw the need for different competencies for Tech-Prep programs, generally ones that would be regarded as more advanced. The findings also suggested that both groups, particularly faculty, perceived graduates of Tech-Prep programs to deserve higher entry level salaries. However, these differences were not statistically significant as indicated by the results of MANOVA analysis. A Pearson product-moment correlational analysis revealed that a significant relationship existed between the ratings of the importance of competencies and the level of involvement in Tech Prep for faculty and employers.

The study recommended a community college manufacturing program should have two parts. The first part is made up of core competencies identified as important in this study. The second part is made up of competencies specific to local needs. Also, since a significant relationship existed between perceptions of a curriculum and Tech-Prep involvement, community college faculty and employers should be encouraged to participate in various Tech-Prep activities.