Pinellas Technical College - Clearwater Campus — Local services in Largo

Newest Update: They did not allow my appeal for suspension, which btw they "investigated" for 15 minutes lol, of a frivolous issue on a day I was told I wouldn't get credit for. Then as predicted they suspended my financial aid in a most not VA approved method which the VA has been informed and a investigation will be made on the school. In addition they then stated I can not have funding again until I go 2 months at 80% for slipping to 70% lol still passing the program.... Being the head of the class I started with and with the best scores. I'm also an honors grad from prior colleges and retired.. they could have simply asked me to leave instead of making themselves unprofessional and epitome of good people doing nothing which that makes those people just as bad if not worse than the evil people. (Can't remember the entire quote). But hey if you want sub par instruction and terrible discrimination go here! Also I found out other students with jobs that just needed some extra sleep got special schedules but me with a 100% Disabled American Veteran for a spouse... I got zero in the way of help and instead was suspended for filing grievances against administration and instruction.

This place was probably great at one time ... Sorry but after being in school for various degrees at 4 year, 2 year, and many certifications they trying to say it's my performance which is comical. Phi theta kappa over 200 credits I have 2 associates, bachelor's, and a master's... I was simply going back to school for fun and because I retired at 40... But sure has to be a great students fault .. heads the class makes better grades then the others in my class but yeah my performance was the reasoning. 😂

Update: After the below yesterday, this morning I was then suspended for 3 days. Essentially I believe this to be retaliatory to the grievance I filed with the school yesterday afternoon. Go figure this morning I'm suspended using a very loose method stating a day that was to not be counted when I wrote in my time I wrote 7:00a which was what my watch said, walking into the classroom asking about the meeting they stated it had already happened and today wasn't going to count for me as I was late. I immediately went to the office to complain. Because I did not then update my time on a sheet where it was not to be entered I was suspended for accidently writing 7:00 instead of 7:08......... The administrator then stated I spoke with the instructor when I had said several times I had not. Fun times everybody! Original: Machining program sub par on instruction side. Probably going to have to either take additional training or see about a different program after this one. Feels like a waste of VA benefits due to instructor failures from the primary instructor. Administrator seems to not be doing anything about it, but will update if anything changes for...

EVENING WELDING COURSE

If you’re interested in learning a welding process from the part-time night class, be aware that this is probably not the right class for you. They have a full-time program that may be more hands on, but the Evening Course is definitely not. It’s basically an open shop for people who already know how to weld. The “instructors” are more like minders that spend most of the class chatting and using their cell phones. When they do help students, it’s usually the students from the full-time course staying after for practice. I took this course twice, once for MIG and then TIG but stopped going because I felt it was a waste of time.

For the money, it might be better to either go with the full-time program or, if all you can make time for is the evening course, consider buying your own machine and watching YouTube. I learned most of what I got out of this course by watching tutorials online and practicing during the “class”. The evening course is basically just a seat at a machine.

If you’re brand new to welding, be warned that this course is very likely to disappoint and create frustration when you wonder why the course description says you will learn “Types of metals and gauges, types of welds, how to weld pipe and plate, and inspection processes”. This is totally inaccurate. You will choose one welding process and then practice basic beads for several weeks with very little input from an instructor. If you can already weld some then the class will be much better because you can work on your own, practicing different joints and techniques… but then you probably don’t need a class.

NOT...

This school holds all of its nursing students to the highest standards. Because of this, they have received an increase in applicants that exceed the amount of spots available. They accept people by the point system; your TEAS and other entrance exams have to be competitive… previous healthcare experience helps too but is not necessary. Although it’s “just” an LPN program, they give you the foundations necessary to graduate as a competent nurse. The nursing department has invested funding to create an impressively interactive nursing lab where you can practice your skills prior to going out to clinical sites. Ms. Greenwood (our nursing chair) goes above and beyond to pair us with clinical sites that are conducive and relevant to our learning. I would recommend this school to anyone seriously considering a career in nursing. Although this is a technical college, don’t expect coddling or hand-holding. From day one, you get what you put into it, the instructors will facilitate understanding but for the most part, the brunt of the learning happens at home reading the modules; the class room setting is where the teacher reinforces concepts and clarifies misunderstandings. Also shout-outs to Ms. Swanston for her tough love; I may or may not have gotten carpal tunnel from all of her case studies but they were all worth it...