Porter and Chester Institute is not what they portray themselves to be. Yes I did learn a lot from taking the HVAC course but their promise of job placement is a fraud. Finding a job in the HVAC field without prior years of experience is very difficult and you figure the school would know this and try to have connections for their students. They do not help you find a job, they have no connections with any companies. I have yet to get one interview through them. Once you graduate you are basically on your own for a job hunt. The School is suppose have relationships with companies that are willing to give PCI students an opportunity but they do not. Don’t fall for the banana in the tail pipe people.
This “school” is a complete scam. I attended the HVAC program in 2010 and quit after a semester and half. I then enrolled in a real university and the quality of the education trumps this place ten fold. PCI enrolls anybody who is willing to pay the 25K, and there are many people who are on government assistance who attend for free. There was constant fighting, swearing, drug use, and a complete lack of preofessional atmosphere. Most of the equipment was broken, outdated, or missing critical components. The computers were severely outdated and were extremely slow. There was also not enough equipment for everybody to work on and most people sat around idly doing nothing but playing on their phones.
You’re better off enrolling at Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) and taking their programs. It’s cheaper, better equipped, better professors, and is a respected college. This place cares nothing about the almighty dollar. Stay away! You will receive a much better education at your local community college and save money...
I was enrolled in the HVAC program. I was a top student. (not a very hard thing to do if you simply showed up and displayed initiative.) I’m pretty sure I am repaying 27,000 to recite ohms law. The power point presentations were redundant, as most times class was held in class and not in the shop. The ration was 20% hands on and 80% in the class room. (not as advertised).
The administration changed the parameters of the attendance laws a minimum of 2 times since I was there. The instructors admitted (honest guys) most of the things one will be learning in this trade cannot be taught in the building and will be taught to you once you are hired by an actual company!! The administration “let go” of a teacher who had been teaching at that school for 10+ years and probably the most knowledgeable in the building because he was making too much money…if that does not show you the core value of this school then you deserve to enroll and get your money taken from you.
If you're already working in your field and just need a license than by all means attend, it will be a breeze for you. If not..run away…fast. A class action law suit on these guys is inevitable.
Structurally this school needs to be assessed by a law professional in regards to the rights of the students and its curriculum. they have breeched my contract with them many times yet nobody seems to do anything about it. The job placement people are a joke and have no understanding of the trades whatsoever as they are fresh out of college themselves. This is called a money pit/pretending to be something that you are not. If it wasnt for the extra efforts of my teachers to get us to learn i would have quit already.
The director of the hvac program was let go for reasons uncertain when this guy followed every rule to the letter of the law. He was a stern teacher but also wantd you to learn. Goes to show how much education is really valued. Wait..it isn't.
I attended the HVAC program in watertown. biggest mistake ever. the instructors were ok, but the equipment was outdated and there was not enough of it. i ended up quitting and going to a real university and am so much happier. stay away.
I am a former graduate of the Stratford, CT campus back in 2007. I took their 18 month program for the Residential and Commercial Electrical Certification. In that span I must have seen at least a few different instructors come and go. Why do you ask? Because none of their instructors have any prior teaching experience, they are simply former tradesmen who obviously couldn’t suffice in their field of study. They cannot effectively put together a lesson plan! Boy do I wish I had my close to $23,000 back!!! A complete waste of my time! Unless you are currently working or have been working in your trade field for awhile and simply need the piece of paper to be licensed than this institute is not for you.
Be sure your field of study is where you truly want to be before enrolling. It’s not like they set you up with any internship programs to guide you along, they’re completely happy taking your money either way.
After I graduated they set me up with a somewhat local company that completely failed to follow any sort of OSHA regulation. The licensed electrician on the job was a complete drunk who took off mid-day to other job sites, leaving all of us apprentices to fend for ourselves. Completely illegal! Not to mention my completely green, entry level status only netted me $10 an hour and my Porter and Chester education counted for absolutely nothing!!! Not to mention the company required me to commute nearly an hour every morning to the job-site with my own transportation. Take out the cost of gas and I was making next to nothing! Obviously I only stuck around for a couple weeks before checking out. I wasn’t willing to injure myself for the simple benefit of the company.
I learned later that Porter and Chester only set me up with this job because they were hiring one of their employees to work at the school. Beneficial to everyone but me! That $23,000 education wasn’t worth $2,300 if you ask me. My brief experience in the field left me with such a sour taste in my mouth over the industry in general that I had decided not to possibly return until just recently. I decided to place a phone call to Porter and Chester’s ongoing job placement assistance board. I felt well heck, I spent the money, maybe they’ll at least be able to help find me another job. What do you think their answer was? “Oh, sorry, but the availability of jobs in the field has been pretty dry, we’re advising students to get out there and network, good luck!” What the hell??? Get out there and network??? What the hell am I calling you for then!!! Please people, this whole experience was something that has continued to haunt me even years later. I’m advising all parents and prospective students to steer clear of places like this. They’re in the business of making money, not educating you!!!
THIS SCHOOL SUCKS!!! All they care about is money. I should’ve listen to the people who have already gone there and told me not to go.
I was enrolled in the HVAC program and my teach wasn’t the best. They mix you in a class with people who already know more than you. The instructor expects you to know everything so you have to learn on your own free time. He was dull and put you to sleep with how boring his voice was. I would constantly ask for help and to stay after and would always tell me I was fine just so he can go crack jokes with other students. And the supervisor John Mastriani (idk if spelled properly) was an asshole. Worries about every other student besides his own. Don’t waste your time or money.
This “school” is a complete scam. I attended the HVAC program in 2010 and quit after a semester and half. I then enrolled in a real university and the quality of the education trumps this place ten fold. They enroll anybody who is willing to pay the 25K, and there are many people who are on government assistance who attend for free.
There was constant fighting, swearing, drug use, and a complete lack of preofessional atmosphere. Most of the equipment was broken, outdated, or missing critical components. The computers were severely outdated and were extremely slow. There was also not enough equipment for everybody to work on, and most people sat around idly doing nothing but playing on their phones.
You’re better off enrolling at NVCC (Naugatuck Valley Community College) and taking their programs. It’s cheaper, better equipped, better professors, and is a respected college. This place cares nothing about the almighty dollar. Stay away! You will receive a much better education at your local community college and save money.
I'm currently attending classes at Porter and Chester Worcester campus for electrical. ABSOLUTE nightmare. Promised ipads - never came through. Promised 91% placement rate - more like 0. Theres no one here to place us into jobs. Joe quit and this new girl dont know her arm from her leg and is never here. So unprofessional. You should just watch YouTube videos because you will learn more. $30,000 for nothing. I'm being robbed. My contact info is 508-612-6831 if you would like to know the truth about Porter and Chester. I'm currently pursuing legal help.
The instructors were knowledgable on the subject. They were all former tradesmen that put a lot of time into their trade. However, the teacher I had for the heating portion just read off power points and in lab, we never had a set schedule. We would pretty much sit around and told to go find something to do. Now, when you have 25+ people doing that, it's impossible for the instructor to make their rounds and help everybody. So, a lot of time was wasted sitting and waiting to be helped and taught.
The people at this school weren't the brightest or most well behaved either. Fights, drug use, and classroom disruptions were the norm. You had to look after your tools or they would be stolen. The school just wants your money. We never had enough supplies in the HVAC program. Every student there is spending 24K. Why don't we get new supplies or equipment to work on? Once they get your money, you're just another number.
I left after the first semester. I wasn't going to sink in any more money to this scam. I enrolled in a real university and am much happier. NVCC is very close to this "school" and is cheaper, better equipped, and reputable. Stay away!!
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician Graduation Year: 2011
Porter and Chester Institute – BE ADVISED: READ THE CHAOS BELOW! I am a former graduate of the Stratford, CT campus back in 2007.I took their 18 month program for the Residential and Commercial Electrical Certification.
In that span I must have seen at least a few different instructors come and go. Why do you ask? Because none of their instructors have any prior teaching experience, they are simply former tradesmen who obviously couldn’t suffice in their field of study. They cannot effectively put together a lesson plan!
Boy do I wish I had my close to $23,000 back!!! A complete waste of my time! Unless you are currently working or have been working in your trade field for awhile and simply need the piece of paper to be licensed than this institute is not for you. Be sure your field of study is where you truly want to be before enrolling.
It’s not like they set you up with any internship programs to guide you along, they’re completely happy taking your money either way. After I graduated they set me up with a somewhat local company that completely failed to follow any sort of OSHA regulation. The licensed electrician on the job was a complete drunk who took off mid-day to other job sites, leaving all of us apprentices to fend for ourselves. Completely illegal!
Not to mention my completely green, entry level status only netted me $10 an hour and my Porter and Chester education counted for absolutely nothing!!! Not to mention the company required me to commute nearly an hour every morning to the job-site with my own transportation. Take out the cost of gas and I was making next to nothing! Obviously I only stuck around for a couple weeks before checking out.
I wasn’t willing to injure myself for the simple benefit of the company. I learned later that Porter and Chester only set me up with this job because they were hiring one of their employees to work at the school. Beneficial to everyone but me! That $23,000 education wasn’t worth $2,300 if you ask me.
My brief experience in the field left me with such a sour taste in my mouth over the industry in general that I had decided not to possibly return until just recently. I decided to place a phone call to Porter and Chester’s ongoing job placement assistance board. I felt well heck, I spent the money, maybe they’ll at least be able to help find me another job. What do you think their answer was?
“Oh, sorry, but the availability of jobs in the field has been pretty dry, we’re advising students to get out there and network, good luck!” What the ***??? Get out there and network??? What the *** am I calling you for then!!! Please people, this whole experience was something that has continued to haunt me even years later.
I’m advising all parents and prospective students to steer clear of places like this.They’re in the business of making money, not educating you!!!
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