A four-stage project was undertaken to develop an exemplary tech prep core program to serve students in the Quad-City/Tri-County Vo Tech Regions school districts and Black Hawk Community College (BHCC) in Illinois. A core group planning committee consisting of education and business/industry representatives used the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) approach to define core knowledge and skills needed by students in three occupational cluster areas: business, health and human services, and manufacturing. Private sector representatives and academic and technical educators collaborated to identify competencies for specific programs. To date, 4 + 2 + 2 programs are being finalized in electromechanical technology and health technology, and 4 + 2 programs are being finalized in production technology, business technology, agricultural technology, and technology systems. All project objectives related to articulation among the participating secondary-level schools and between them and BHCC have also been completed. (Appendixes include the tech prep core curriculum model, entrance/exit criteria for tech prep students, lists of project team members from the participating schools, project publicity materials, end-of-year reports from the participating institutions, and tech prep pilot courses for FY92.) (MN)