The state’s Office of Higher Education has now confirmed that it’s investigating students’ complaints about Fresh Start Technical School, after an NBC CT Responds report last week.
Hartford County students told NBC CT Responds that they wasted weeks of their lives in a program to prep them for a new career to drive 18-wheelers.
Fresh Start Technical School in Hartford is approved by the state, and it gets federal funding too.
Former students we spoke to were initially thrilled that their almost $5,000 training course would be covered by funding.
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But they say they never got the driving training they were promised.
Fresh Start Technical School never provided them with sufficient on-the-road driving hours to take the commercial driver’s license test, according to the students and later confirmed in emails to students by the company's owner.
In an email to students, the school’s owner said she was shutting down the course.
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She later wrote to a student, “We were blindsided to the fact that students did not have the road time,” which she also wrote prompted an investigation and led to the firing of an instructor.
Before these emails were sent by the owner, the school signed each of the students up for the Department of Motor Vehicles test and had them attend graduation too, despite the lack of training.
Now the Department of Transportation is weighing in after its commissioner was a guest speaker at that graduation.
The former students tell us that Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto spoke about their inspiring career path, and CT DOT open positions too.
In a statement, a CT DOT spokesperson says:
“First and foremost, we continue to be enthusiastic about the amazing job opportunities at CTDOT and applaud those who have taken steps towards what we believe is a rewarding and sustainable career. While this news is disheartening, we have confidence in the many CDL programs and organizations throughout Connecticut, and don’t want this to discourage others from investing time in their future.”
“All these things should have been known by the school,” said Mike Ericson, a former student from Bloomfield.
“You’re supposed to be on the road and testing your skills and that was not taking place and I was like 'What’s going on here?' How are we going to take our test without getting road time to sharpen our skills?,” said Courtney Dunstan, a former student from Hartford.
“For it to be ripped away, I had to stand in Christmas lines for my daughter to get Christmas gifts that I usually can afford, and I fell behind in bills that I usually am up to date on and it’s a mess,” said Tori Mitchell, another former student from Hartford.
The owner of Fresh Start Technical School told NBC CT Responds said she had no comment.
The school offers medical training too.
