ATI Career Training Center(Dallas) American Trade Institute, ATI School Scam lures many believing they will earn a proper education Dallas Texas

I am a former student trying to keep others from being lured into this scam that has been going around for years which no one has ever intended to stepped up to the plate.

ATI Career Training Center (aka American Trade Institute) should either be under investigation or at least shut down. The school has lured many of students, not just teens but including adults believing that they will earn a proper education. Once they complete the courses and graduate they will then open their eye's and see how much they have been decieved. Think about how many of these students are out their with so little experienced or none at all. The school has really gone down into a steep slope and has been dragging these students throughout the years.

Here are some of the courses:
Graphic Design
CAD (Computer Assisted Design)
Respiratory Therapy Technology
Business Administration Technology
Automotive Service Technician
and to top things off
"Medical Assisting"

Yeah, dont let the names fool you. But when it comes to actually learning any of these skills you need to take courses in colleage where they will teach you the correct way.

Medical Assistance:
Now imagine this, a Medical Assisting student trying to give you a flu shot or take a sample of blood. Many of them in the school had used us "students" to practice. But some of the medical students were a bit too shakey and doing more then just a small puncture on the vein. Still some of the students who have graduated from this school have no clue on what they are doing and many of them are not even in the field of their liking, so talk about a waist of time and money.

Graphic Designers:
Many of the Graphic Designers who graduate from the school do not even know how to upload a web-site. A majority of the students didnt even know how php and cgi come into affect while creating forms and/or shopping carts. Some do not even know that web-sites can be build using .asp. So what kind of school would let these students walk empty handed? It was easy to give them a diploma but it wasnt easy for them to see their entire year and a half that the school has trained them to become "Driven Without Success".

Supplies:
Many of the supplies that were listed were not given to students, some had to work with what they had because the school was in a tight budget. They later had to cancel there CAD class as proof. And through graduation students still did not receive their complete supplies.

Behaviour:
Classes were filled with all kinds of students during the mornings and evenings, but my class was only populated by 6 or less during the afternoon. Out of all the classes the afternoon class became one of the worsts because of 2 students that would roam the hallway's and disrupt many of the other classes during school. They should have been expelled many times for sexual harrassment, drug paraphernalia, drinking on school property and stealing school property.

One of these students had tried to steal a computer by stuffing it into his back pack. But not only were they disruptive in class, the music had become out of control, especially with such vulgar language. So I took upon myself to create this, posted them all over the classroom and then deleting the all music from the computers.

ATI
Attention GD Students:

Music:
Due to interuption of class(es) and other students, music will not be allowed in classrooms.
You may bring a portable CD player to class, but may not download music onto the computer(s).
Our computer's will now be checked from time to time for unwanted files such as these.
This has taken affect as of Friday morning when hearing loud music down the halls with vulgar
language during our meeting.

Dress Code:
A strict dress code is now in effect, you are not allowed to wear baggy clothing or hats to school.
Students need to dress in a professional manner. During school hours, we "will" have employers hiring students, so give it your best.

"Succeeding in the ladder of success begins with you."
Have a great day!
"I then applied a logo using Illustrator to make it legit"

This did work for about a month or two until the teacher himself "H. Todd J. Moore", was the one to break the rule then their it went again. Out of all the teachers in the world I dont see how this one had to be a replacement of someone like Grimes, whom passed away due to cancer.

Education:
I attended the school hoping I could get a proper education. Told that some colleages do accept ATI credit, Darla Knight was my Admission Officer whom did the paper work at this time, I gladly filled out the paperwork. At the time I even asked her to give me a list of the colleages that do accept the credit which she insisted that she would later. After the paper work, I was scheduled to attend school on June 9th, 2004 for the Graphic Design course, but I never did receive the list.

The first couple of weeks were good until the teacher started putting the students down by critizing them on there work. He would make the students come surround this one student who had a mistake humilating him, I was this student. Students ideas were also taken and used for their own personal use. Many students lost interest and quit school because of this teacher. This teacher was teaching the afternoon class temporarily until the new teacher took over the afternoon class.

The new guy started off great lecturing what was all to come, teaching us and showing us a few tips and all. As time went along he got too comfortable. He start letting his personal life get involve with school. Classes became dull and students were being ignored. They're were some students that wanted to learn but this teacher wouldnt get up and help the students. The projects were just brought and given to us without direct explanations at times. Given us quizess that had nothing to do with the course. At the end of each course he would care less. He would give out the answers the day before the exam and left students un-suporvised in another classroom.

I felt sorry for the guy that he had issues with his wife, but their was no need for him to share all his issues instead of the school material.

One time I left my drawing on the table to go to the restroom. When I had came back and the teacher walked out of the room as I arrived the students then told me that he was saying how crappy my drawing was. The students themselves defended me while I was away saying it was actually a pretty good drawing.

On my fourth term, I practically did not have a teacher, I was completely clueless and alone in the room next door trying to learn Dreamweaver using a course online which I could not have access to due to the filtering of the site. The books given were changed to save money and make learning easier, but the book they had previously was 100% better created by author J. Tarin Towers, the new one by Thomson Course Technology needed internet access and certain material to be downloaded off the internet which made it impossible to learn due to the filtering.

Their has been times that when I asked the teacher for help he would come but have no clue on the software either. I came to find out that the teacher did not major in graphic designs but in Philosophy, which has nothing to do with Graphic Designs. Anyway's I had gotten upset and frustrated, I kept telling the teacher to help me and teach me this software but he could not do so since he was trying to teach two classes at one time.

One day I rushed down to the main office and talked to Mrs Margeret Jackson that I needed a book where I may learn the project offline, which then they finally gave me the Tarin Towers book, which I then was half way near the end of the term.

Their excuse was that I didnt need a teacher since I was able to pick up things pretty quickly on my own. I created my website example, it wasnt great at all, it was just a basic layout with simple html. I wanted to learn how to upload the site, the teacher took the time to teach me how to do so THROUGH A DIFFERENT SOFTWARE! "Adobe Live" which had nothing to do with Dreamweaver. He had no clue how to upload a site using Dreamweaver.

That term was basically a gonner, I was hoping to get more help and books that would me do so, but everytime I asked they would look the other way. At this term I came to find out when asking the teacher that I would not recieve colleage credit for any colleage. Darla Knight, had resigned due to an accident in the breakroom when someone had spilled a drink due to poor uncleaned environment.

During the final term the teacher seemed to have lost interest. At one of our quizes the teacher was giving out the answers, wanting us to just memorize the answers instead of the question and explaining the answer. He would read out the question then say "B" or whatever the answer was on the multiple choice. We responded and told him why he was doing this, in my mine he was probably fed up with his issues at home. In many cases through out the year many of the exams were left unsuporvised, many students would then cheat off of each other which I found it wrong and so did the other students.

At the end, I did not even take the time to walk across the stage. I did not attend graduation but the classes were complete. Many of those students though that also graduated did not have a clue how to upload a site, and many of then are still not working in their field of choice but have a huge $20k loan to pay under their belt. I am constantly recieving letters from Citibank and some Financial agency. I have proof of a Dallas Police Officer whom also complained about the school.

A few month's later the person in charge of helping students find a job, I dont recall her name but I know whom she is and recognize her voice. She called and said she had a job for me in Mesquite. I told her exactly that I couldn't make it cause it was too far of a drive from West part of Frisco. Then I told her if she knew of anything closer which she then replied that no, because the school was only intended to be for Dallas Residents. The conversation should be in their records recorded as they do with every other conversation. At this point I knew this school had really scammed me.

That year that I was there, their were also three fights. The teachers didnt do anything to the students nor punished them just a slap on the wrist. One time their was a fight outside, the student was knocked on the ground and kicked in the face then gushing out blood in the parking lot. The teachers expelled both of the students, usually at situations such as these the cops are involved which caught so many peoples eye's when the school finally showed its true colors.

The guy who got kicked was pulled from school by his parents which the parents questioned the director why the police wasnt called and why they expelled their son since the other student was the one who sexually harrassed, disrupted class, and drank liquor in school. A girl had came up to me in class how this guy would sexually harrassed her, but fear of getting the law involved and not knowing this males actions she just let go by even when I insisted that she should report it. Theirs been tons of complains but the students who would get the punishment were those who did not completed some paper work of enrollment.

"See, if a person goes to school its to learn, not to throw it away and slack off or lose hope by those who are their to teach. Thats why their slogan is just a false advertisement not helping but destroying and putting people in debt."

I remember when got in a fight in High School, my punishment was 3 days of suspension, a fine, community service and a court day which I did learn for my error. Now a school with no disapplend or respect for students isnt a school, its a juvenile detention hall.

Their were some faculty members that were involved with students after and during school hours as of lunch breaks and etc... This one member would go to DMX with the students and even to the strip clubs and strip, the students would then come in the following monday or the following day and the topic would be about how well this facutly member looked, danced, were, etc...

Dont attend this school.
Survey's:
Each term, students were given survey's to fillout about their class, teacher and what could be done make the course interesting and encouraging. When giving a bad report on the survey Mrs Jackson would call the student down to her office to which these survey's were not to be examed by her. The teacher would also sometimes tell the students to give a positive report.

Environment:
Filthy, full of pest that lured out from the candy and snack machines. Causing a hazardous environment which was not properly cleaned in between breaks or lunch making it uncomfortable. Many cases roaches were the majority that would crawl up our legs and our tables making us lose our appetite.

Their has been a few cases where students or bums would break into the student vehicles, in one case a couple of students were mugged at the bus stop. The school even had security cameras which they then said that they did not work.

This is what I have at the moment, I am sure their is more that I can add when I have more time. But I believe this school should be the ones to pay off my loans, instead of wasting a year and a quarter of my time.

Isaias
Frisco, Texas
U.S.A.