The Illinois University Council for Career and Technical Education has existed in Illinois since 1969. Throughout this period, the overarching goal of the Council has been to improve instructional services for Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators and state agency stakeholders. The Council has historically been comprised of public universities throughout Illinois. Presently, the Council comprises representatives from seven public universities: Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, and Western Illinois University. In addition to the seven state public universities, the state agencies represented on the Council include the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).

Facilitating activities to prepare a wide range of CTE professionals in Illinois has historically been the base from which the Council has launched its operations. University representatives who serve on the Council act as the catalyst between and among CTE programs, and assume the responsibilities of preparing individuals to work as teachers, coordinators, and additional positions in the CTE workforce. The Council is dedicated to improving CTE at all levels of education for agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences, health sciences, industrial technology, and technology education. To this end, the Council assists the Illinois State Board of Education in developing, promoting, and coordinating statewide activities that strengthen CTE.

Presently, the Council is the only group in Illinois that is comprised primarily of CTE representatives from public universities. The uniqueness of the Council lies in its potential to address, on a statewide basis, issues related to preparing CTE professionals. The Council assists state agencies in addressing problems related to professional and personnel preparation that often originates from closed or broken communication channels. Thus, the Council provides a voice for educators and other CTE stakeholders that often are unaware of state activities, i.e., the loop for policy development and other initiatives that affect all levels of CTE.

The Council primarily focuses on providing CTE educators and others with access to professional development opportunities. For example, the Council supports and facilitates the participation of teacher educators, pre-service teachers and in-service faculty in the annual statewide Connections Conference, which is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education. By doing so, the Council assists education personnel in gaining CTE professional development skills. The Council exerts energy and resources toward activities that closely affect the involvement of teachers, teacher trainees, teacher educators, coordinators, and others in the development and delivery of activities and products designed to enhance CTE. Additionally, the Council promotes and supports collaborative research with deliverable outcomes among CTE professionals, which may influence the practices of Illinois' CTE programs.