The Connecticut Department of Labor says it has removed Fresh Start Technical School from its "eligible provider list" after NBC CT Responds first reported on former students’ frustrations.
Earlier this year, the commercial truck driving students told us that they spent weeks of their lives missing out on making money elsewhere, as they worked towards a bigger life goal: their CDL license.
And yet, the state-approved school didn’t provide proper on-the-road driving training.
Before NBC CT Responds or the state investigated, Fresh Start out of Hartford held a graduation and even booked students’ license tests, according to pictures and emails we reviewed from the former students.
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CTDOL now says the program failed to prepare students for licensing and it’s no longer endorsing the program.
CTDOL says Capital Workforce Partners, which contracted and paid Fresh Start $104,000 to train the 21 students, is now seeking tuition reimbursement and is “assessing contract noncompliance.”
CTDOL funds Capital Workforce Partners, and other workforce development programs like it around the state.
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Meantime, Fresh Start’s website still says it offers truck driving training.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Fresh Start for a comment but we haven’t heard back.
CTDOL says Capitol Workforce Partners has since helped 18 of those 21 commercial truck driving students to get into new training programs.
It says they didn’t hear back from the other three students.
The tech school continues to advertise nursing assistant and phlebotomy trainings on its website.
The state Office of Higher Education tells NBC CT Responds that it reviewed and authorized both of those programs earlier this year and will continue to monitor the school closely.
