The Department of Workforce Education and Development is one of nine departments in the College of Education and Human Services at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.  Since its inception, the department has been devoted to creating a workforce characterized by changing technological, demographic and economic environments.  The department offers programs of study from undergraduate through doctoral degrees in an array of curricula to fit students’ interests, career goals and schedules.

The SIUC Bachelor's degree in Workforce Education and Development had its beginning in 1973 and is today one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States. The military service component of that program, first offered at Scott AFB in 1973, currently enrolls over 1,000 students and has proudly graduated over 19,000 military personnel and civilians. WED continues to gain popularity because of its flexible format and diverse career opportunities.

The Department of Workforce Education and Development currently offers the baccalaureate degree education, training and development specialization at fifteen military installations and one civilian site in ten states. The program is particularly suited to military service members, given the national attention on the need for education and training of a high quality U.S. workforce. Southern Illinois University is one of the few universities of its kind that very successfully delivers degree programs on military installations. 

The typical service member enrolling in the Workforce Education and Development Program:

• has 12 years of service experience
• is 35 years old
• is upper enlisted rank in the military
• will retire with more than 20 years of service
• is in a training and development position in the military
• will become a trainer in the public or private sector as a direct result of their participation in the Department's innovative program

This unique program provides a delivery format that allows students to complete coursework in a specified period. More than 70 classes are offered each semester during off-duty time, generally on alternate weekends. The Department is proud of its ability to prepare technically trained persons for training and development positions in education, business, industry, labor, government, and the military.

Learn more about OCDP. View presentations, instructor interviews and more at the OCDP Training Web site.