8/5/26
Today, it was our pleasure to tour the Technology Center of DuPage, commonly known as TCD. The incredibly informative tour was led by Mike Fumagalli, Executive Director of DAOES (DuPage Area Occupational Education System). TCD operates as part of DAOES. 
DAOES:The DAOES mission is to help students understand and prepare for career opportunities. DAOES has two major functions: planning for the delivery of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for a geographical area in Chicago’s western suburbs, and operating the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD), a Career & Technology Education center for 11th & 12th graders.
Located in Addison, DAOES provides services to schools and accepts enrollment from 14 high achieving school districts in the DuPage County area. DAOES serves students in the same geographical area as the College of DuPage. The System provides Career & Technical Education support to over 50,000 9-12 graders and more than 4,000 certified high school staff.
TCD: The occupational education provided at TCD focuses on hands-on skills rather than general academic learning to prepare the students for specific jobs and trades (see: https://www.tcdupage.org/programs). This is both career and college focus as most of the programs offer options to earn college credit. Dual credit courses are offered in collaboration with the College of DuPage (COD), Joliet Junior College, and other select institutions. The COD Addison Center, located in the TCD, offers the same, full-service education available at COD's campus in Glen Ellyn.