AUSTIN (August 9, 2011)—The Texas Workforce Commission Tuesday announced it’s revoking certificates of approval for 22 programs taught at career schools in the state owned by ATI Enterprises, Inc., and that it’s ordering ATI to refund the cost of tuition to students now enrolled in the programs or to offer the students the chance to complete their training in compliance with the TWC.
Students in the affected programs must also be provided with revised and accurate graduate employment rates.
The announcement Tuesday did not identify the 22 programs included in the revocation.
In a brief statement, ATI said its “senior leadership has taken this matter very seriously and worked intensely with TWC officials to come to an agreement for the common goal of providing quality education and opportunities for ATI students and graduates.”
On July 27, the Workforce Commission issued notice of intent to revoke certificates of approval for ATI’s Texas career schools and colleges including ATI’s Waco Career Training Center at 1417 South Valley Mills Dr.
The Waco school offers course in air conditioning, heating and refrigeration, automotive service, welding, dental assistance and medical assistance, according to ATI’s website.
The action is in response to ATI’s failure to comply with a Texas Education Code requirement that Workforce Commission-licensed schools submit accurate and verifiable annual documentation of completion and graduation rates.
A third-party review found that ATI’s student outcome reports to the Workforce Commission for the 2010 fiscal year indicated that ATI failed to place the required 60 percent of its graduates into training-related jobs for most of its programs.
In order to continue operating in Texas, ATI must provide a letter of credit sufficient to cover the cost of refunds or completion of training for all students now enrolled in the 22 programs.
ATI must discontinue the 22 programs in which rates of employment were misreported, must pay $61,000 in fines, must verify 2011 student employment rates through an independent third party and must make changes to ensure the accuracy of data reporting in the future, the TWC said Tuesday.
If any 2011 employment rates are misreported by more than 5 percent for any of ATI’s programs, the Workforce Commission said it will revoke the license for the entire school at which the program is taught.
