Education Scams (Part 4)

(Consumer Safety & Awareness article: Part 41)

Learn at Home & Tech Schools

Many high school students, lacking the grades or the interest to go on to college, seek to get technical training. With a long history of advertising, on matchbooks, in pulp magazines, and now on the Internet, hundreds of companies provide technical training for such people. Scammers, seeing financial gain, have moved in.

Pennco Tech is a good example. Pennco Tech is an actual school, located in Bristol Pennsylvania, with a satellite unit in Blackewood New Jersey. If you go to their web site you will find, “You have goals for your future. Strong ideas about what you want to do, and how you want to live. The problem is that the steps to achieve these goals aren't always clear. Pennco Tech helps you bridge the gap between dreams and reality. We work with you to formulate a solid plan, and then give you the training and employer connections you need to accomplish that plan.”

Sounds good? Yet why do we see things like this posted on the Internet? “Pennco Tech guarantees they will help you find a job. That’s all a sales pitch to get you into their “programs". I am over $10,000.00 in dept for the student loan that I cannot pay back! They will leave you with nothing. Don’t let your fate be the same.”

Here are some more complaints about this school:

“I earned an Associates Degree, which I believe is invalid because the degree has the Bristol, Pennsylvania campus on it. I only was there for the last two weeks of the 18 months I attended. When I asked Pennco Tech why was this, I was informed because the Blackwood, New Jersey campus was not an accredited school and they cannot legally give degrees. I received a diploma also at that time, which had the Blackwood campus on it. The course had to take place the last two weeks in Bristol to make the degree ‘good'. I paid 18 months for a two-week degree.”

“Licensed teachers did not teach the courses that were taught. When we traveled to Bristol the same teachers were sent to teach us. Now there is a case of unlicensed teachers teaching in an accredited school.”

“The course taught outdated computer languages that no one is using.”

“I was just informed by Pennco Tech when I called to get the figures that I paid that the Computer Programming course that I studied was discontinued a few years back due to poor job placement for perspective employees in that field.”

“I am writing this letter to report a fraudulent misrepresentation made by Pennco Tech in Blackwood, NJ. Senior Admissions Representative Karl Mancuso "Guaranteed" lifetime job placements for the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, and Refrigeration (HVAC) class with a starting salary of $15-28 dollars an hour. He also said if I had good attendance, kept good grades, and participated in class my chance of earning the highest salary of $28 an hour would be more likely.”

“After speaking with Donna, the Career counselor, we were told there are NO jobs for ANY class in the salary range quoted to us by Mr. Mancuso. The actual starting salary is only $9.50 an hour. With a slim possibility, Donna may be able to find me a job paying up to $13. She said she had never heard of an entry-level position paying as high as $28 an hour. Donna also stated that because of equal opportunity employment, everyone’s resume must be sent to prospective employers, not just the people in the top of the class. Everyone must be given the same employment options for every paying job available.”

“I believed at the signing of my enrollment contract with Pennco Tech that I would be earning a full time starting salary of over $20 dollars an hour. I would have never given up my $14 dollar an hour plus commission position, take out $15,000 (plus interest) in student loans, and sacrificed my families (we have 3 kids) future for a job only paying $9.50 an hour. We were lied to and taken advantage of and I would like the school, and Mr. Karl Mancuso held firmly responsible! We relied on him to factually represent Pennco Tech, and it was his lies that we put our future on the line for and enrolled with this school” (Grammar errors in the original maintained.)

More on this topic next week.