WyoTech , formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute , is a US nonprofit college system established in Laramie, Wyoming in 1966 and is currently owned by Zenith Education Group. Zenith Education is a division of Educational Credit Management Corporation, a student debt collector.
At its peak in the early 2000s, WyoTech has seven campuses offering degrees and diplomas in the fields of automotive, diesel, crash, motorcycle, marine technology, and construction trade. WyoTech also offers advanced training courses in applied service management; light duty diesel; advanced automotive diagnostics; road rods and custom fabrication; manufacture of motor sport fabrication; high-performance electric train; and trim and coating technologies.
In 2016, Wyotech has campuses in Laramie, Wyoming, Blairsville, Pennsylvania, and Daytona Beach, Florida.
Video WyoTech
History
Establishment
Wyoming Technical Institute, Wyotech, founded in 1966 as an automotive themed school, offers an automotive repair program. The first class in Laramie has 22 students, and the classes are housed in a 9000 square foot building.
In 1969, the Laramie WyoTech campus became accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the College of Careers and Colleges, (ACCSC), formerly known as NATTS.
Buy and grow quickly
Corinthian Colleges purchased Wyo-tech Acquisition Corporation on July 1, 2002 for $ 84.4 million in cash, which is 9.5 times EBITDA. At that time there were two Wyotech campuses: in Laramie, Wyoming and a facility under construction in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. The standard cohort rate for Wyotech was 7.2 in 1998 and 5.0% in 1999.
The reasons for Corinthian College for relatively high purchases and rapid expansion are based on estimates by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for high demand for automotive technicians and significant worker turnover. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 16.7% increase in automobile technicians, from 790,000 in 1998 to around 922,000 in 2008. WyoTech became part of Titan Schools, Inc., the technical division of Corinthian College. The Titan School offers degree programs and diplomas in aeronautical maintenance, heating/ventilation/air conditioning and pipe technology as well as automotive and diesel programs.
In December 2003, the Blairsville campus moved to an expanded facility in 500 Drive Innovations, which is considered an advantage for the rural Pennsylvania working-class city. The Laramie campus also added a 75,000 square foot building in 2003.
In January 2003, Corinthian Colleges income call, Wyotech called "extraordinary acquisition" and it was reported that 600,000 square feet of space was added to Wyotech. In October of the same year, CFO Corinthian Colleges Dennis Beal stated that WyoTech is using national high school recruiters "to sell everything from aviation maintenance, HVAC programs and things like that besides their automatic repairs and diesels."
In January 2004, Corinthian Colleges reported that the Blairsville campus is projected to break even within the next 12-18 months. In February 2004, Senator Rick Santorum visited Blairsville Wyotech, stating that "expansion is good news for Indiana County.... This kind of training center offers students a competitive edge when entering the workforce." When completed, the Blairsville Wyotech campus is expected to cover 250,000 square feet.
In August 2004, Wyotech had seven sites, adding campuses in Boston (August 2003), Fremont, California (August 2003), Sacramento (January 2004), Oakland (March 2004), and Daytona Beach (August 2004). The Daytona campus offers courses to prepare students for jobs as motorcycle, marine, and personal technicians.
In 2004, more than 30 students, teachers, and alumni Laramie, Wyoming WyoTech featured in The Learning Channel's new Overhaulin series. The redesigned Chevy '56 is on display at various venues by WyoTech and the WTI Foundation to "raise awareness of the foundation's efforts to provide scholarships for eligible students."
Also in 2004, the investment company W. P. Carey & Co provided Corinthian Colleges about $ 52 million to build two new student housing facilities: a 156-apartment facility in Laramie for 624 students and 164-apartment facilities in Blairsville for 648 students.
In 2006, at PR Newswire, WyoTech boasts seven national schools, with more than 6,000 students. The course in diesel technology began in 2006 and the Blairsville campus added light-duty diesel and advanced high-performance electric train courses in 2007. WyoTech is also forming a partnership with Summit Racing Equipment, the world's largest direct marketer of high-performance automotive parts.
At the end of 2006, Corinthian Colleges reported that they had a team of over 100 WyoTech acceptance representatives and that each WyoTech student earned "a monthly income 2-3 times higher than the monthly income generated by a Diploma or Associate Degree student." The same September report noted "some erosion in initial growth." The Pittsburgh Tribune Review also reports that the Blairsville community has mixed reviews of school growth and its perceived effects on society. Some feel lucky because of the positive economic effects. Others blame waves of vandalism, underage drinking, traffic violations and petty theft on this growth.
Wyotech Hack and Corinthian Colleges failure
In January 2007, Corinthian Colleges reported that the "WyoTech" event rate (the percentage of students who enroll and then appears for the class) has fallen well below the historical level. In the same report, Corinthian Colleges stated that they had "understood that the challenges in the business were deeper than previously anticipated." In response, Corinthian Colleges hired Frank Stryjewski as division president of Wyotech. Mr. Stryjewski previously served as senior vice president operating for Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation.
In 2007 and 2008 Wyotech was divested from the campus of Boston and Oakland, which offered flight maintenance. The Boston campus was sold in 2008 and the Oakland campus is expected to be sold in 2009. In March 2009, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported that six students in Wyotech, Blairsville were arrested for reckless driving at 99 miles per hour, 44 miles per hour above the limit speed posted. In 2010, a Blairsville student was accused of stabbing another student.
In September 2010, Wyotech stopped enrolling students without a high school diploma or equivalent, to reduce student bad loans. However, this also reduces registration.
In 2011, WyoTech reported that the school has the highest graduation rate of any two-year school in the United States. WyoTech Blairsville has an 85.1 percent graduation rate, and WyoTech Laramie graduation rate is 80.1 percent. However, the failure rate of Wyotech student loans has increased to 16.8% on the Blairsville campus and 17.2% on the Laramie campus. A 2011 report by California Watch found that the failure rate of student loans in 2009 was an alarming 27.4% in Long Beach and 24.6% in Fremont.
In its 2011 and 2012 report, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions also highlighted the Corinthian College, the parent company of Wyotech, as a predatory company that misleads students about fees and getting jobs. In the HELP documents, the committee noted that Long Beach Wyotech had a default rate of 36.6% of student loans.
From July 2011 to July 2014, Corinthian Colleges lends high-interest students in-house Genesis Loans .
In 2012, Wyotech is divested from its campuses in Sacramento and Daytona Beach. It also reports that its trademark has been impaired by the regulatory uncertainty surrounding profitable employment. In 2013, WyoTech partnered with Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks to create a curriculum for Diesel Advanced Technology Education for the new Mack Truck and Volvo Trucks. However, WyoTech schools face layoffs and site closures when Corinthian Colleges, its parent company, receives greater government oversight for questionable business and trade practices. One of the main criticisms of Wyotech and other nonprofit colleges is that tuition fees are usually 300% to 400% more expensive than college programs, which trigger high rates of student loan failure. Due to a lack of acceptable offers to purchase Daytona Beach campus, Wyotech continues its operations there.
In 2014, the Center for Investigative Reporting found that three California Wyotechs campuses received more than $ 32 million in GI Bill funds over a span of 5 years. Wyotech is labeled a sub-prime college because its parent corporation, Corinthian Colleges, has used false and misleading advertising to recruit students.
Purchase ECMC
In February 2015, ECMC purchased three Wyotech campuses and the remaining Everest College campus under the name Zenith Education Group.
On April 27, 2015, closed three WyoTech campuses in California, leaving campuses in Laramie, Blairsville, and the remaining Daytona Beach. A report by the US Department of Education found that Wyotech's placement rate in California was 2% to 14% below what Wyotech had claimed.
Maps WyoTech
Accreditation
WyoTech is nationally accredited but not regionally accredited. Most state and private universities are regionally accredited and do not receive credit or degrees from WyoTech for transfers.
Campus location
The WyoTech campus is located in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Florida. The Corinthian California campuses have all closed down. Sacramento is closed in 2013 and the Fremont and Long Beach campuses are closed by 2015.
- Laramie, Wyoming
- Blairsville, Pennsylvania
- Daytona, Florida
Subject field
The WyoTech title is completed within nine months, six months from the Core class and then the three month Preferences program. Not all courses are available on any campus.
Core Class - Diplomas and Certificates are available in the following subjects:
- Automotive-Diesel Combinations
- Automotive Technology
- Collisions & amp; Refinishing
- Diesel Technology
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Marine Technology
- Motorcycle Technology
Options - Special courses offered to students completing Core Class :
- Advanced Automotive Diagnostics
- Applied Service Management, or ASM, is the only class offered by WyoTech that generates Associate Associates when combined with an eligible core class
- Advanced Diesel Technology Education (DATE) for Volvo Mack Trucks and Trucks
- Chassis Fabrication
- High Performance Powertrain
- Light-Duty Diesel
- Chassis Motorsport Fabrication
- Off-Road Power
- Street Rod & amp; Custom Fabrication
- Crop & amp; Upholstery Technology
Motorcycles & amp; Marine Electives
- Advanced Marine
- Applied Service Management, or ASM, is the only class offered by WyoTech that generates an associate level when combined with an eligible core class
- Asian Motorcycles
- European Motorcycles
- Harley Davidson Motorcycle
- Off-Road Power
Legal process
In 2008, nine former WyoTech students who took warm-up classes and ACs at Fremont claimed they had taken student loans of $ 40,000 each, but their training did not get them hired. According to the lawsuit, the instructors sometimes seem drunk, fall asleep in class and can not answer basic questions, and equipment is outdated.
In 2013, WyoTech's parent company at the time, Corinthian Colleges, was sued by the state of California for "fake and predatory advertising, deliberate misinterpretation of students, securities fraud, and unlawful use of military seals in advertising." and there are many other actions filed against Corinthians in various US states as well as US institutions.
In July 2014, the Corinthian College agreed that they would close or sell all of their schools within the next few months. The US Department of Education announces former US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a notorious corrupt offender, will monitor the sale and closing of nonprofit career schools owned by the failed Corinthian Academy.
On February 3, 2015, Corinthian sold 53 Everest and WyoTech campuses and its online program to Zenith Education Group, a new subsidiary of ECMC Group.
Famous Alumni
- Jessi Combs - Metal Fabricator, TV Personality.
Debt cancellation and student debt help
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 17-24% of Wyotech students have failed in student loans.
On June 8, 2015, the US Department of Education announced that they are developing a process that will allow former Corinth school students to apply for debt relief, if they believe they are victims of fraud. Although the Department has not yet created a formal process, they have outlined what borrowers should ask if they wish to pursue a debt cancellation on the Federal Student Aid website. In addition, the advocacy group, Debt Collective, has created an unofficial "Defense to Repayment App" that allows former Corinthian students and other schools to be accused of fraud in pursuit of debt cancellation. Applications generated through the online form of Debt Collective are cited by the Ministry of Education in the Federal Register notification, which says that "the need for a clearer process for potential claimants" arose because of the submission of more than 1000 defenses for payment claims with "a debt activism movement.
References
External links
- AG Complaint
- Complaints
- WyoTech Country
- WyoTech Official Website
- Wyotech Alumni Association
- WTI Foundation
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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