By Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students who aren’t heading to college could soon have a much different high school experience.

Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said that may change this month. The State Board is expected to vote on a new plan to give non-college-bound students a chance to learn job skills.

“We don’t want students to go through high school wandering or all having to do the same thing,” Matthews said. “It really is flipping the mindset. If students are graduating not college-ready, not career-ready, that’s on us.”

High school students in Illinois are required to take four years of gym, two years of science, and a year of geometry. But vocational or technical classes are optional.

The state board’s new plan would allow students to take traditional vocational classes, but also enroll in internships, partnerships, and relationships to learn skills in business, IT, agriculture, and health care.

“The expansion in those (vocational) programs is based on a hard look and a hard analysis of where the jobs are, and where students are going to be employed after high school,” Matthews said.

ISBE’s own data show that about 30 percent of Illinois high school students never enroll in college. Matthews said Illinois’ high schools need to get those students ready as well.