College Guarantees Jobs -- Or Your Money Back

As part of a new program at Lansing Community College, graduates of the school's six-week technical training courses who don't find jobs will be refunded their tuition.

Lansing, the third biggest community college in Michigan, is hoping to increase its enrollment through the deal. The program applies to those seeking the most popular technical positions, including call-center specialists and computer machinists, and aims to hold students to a higher standard.

Time has more:

The money-back guarantee is only open to a total of 61 students in Lansing's pilot program. And the applicants are expected to be elite and competitive, says Ellen Jones, the college's director of public affairs. (All must have a high school degree.) Those who are accepted can't miss any class or assignments. They have to go through employability skill training and attend job fairs, and after they complete one of the six-week training courses, they must prove that they're actively applying for jobs.

The estimated value of the offer? $2,400.

What do you think? Innovative tactic or total gimmick?

Comments

[twhiting9275]

02:26 PM on 04/10/2010

Definitely interesting, but is it going to work?
If only EVERY college had that guarantee. Then again, nobody'd be paying their SL's back if they did

[realitytrumpsbull]

01:46 PM on 04/10/2010

One of the reasons that people pursue higher education is to improve their employment prospects. But, college/university is not the only path to lead you in that direction. Also, more than one billionaire in this world has the distinction of also being...a college dropout. All roads lead to Rome...

[Grogger]

04:55 PM on 04/08/2010

Wow, does one really need a degree to become a call center specialist?

[nacakis1]

02:24 PM on 04/08/2010

program beats DeVry, ITT, and Westwood colleges...Oh and according to DeVry's own commercials, there degree programs, will increase your pay by a whomping 9%

[ShanniC]

12:29 PM on 04/08/2010

2400 bucks is too much for that program. They should check out cheaper colleges that offer similar programs.

[westreal]

11:40 AM on 04/08/2010

Innovative

[erinsf]

11:29 AM on 04/08/2010

Interesting way to compete for students. Lets see what KIND of jobs they get offers for.

[Harrier]

10:32 AM on 04/08/2010

Sounds like Brooks college that eventually went out of business.http://www.brookscollege.edu/ .

They kept promising and finally we sued for not doing anything to place people where we graduating with straight As. CSULB has bought to college and use it as a dormitory.

[Stephanie Jevtic]

09:57 AM on 04/08/2010

The headline sounds inspired but there's always a catch isn't there? Aw sucks! Such is life.

[Abby1]

10:43 AM on 04/08/2010

I think there is even more to it than what is mentioned in the article. I would not be surprised if this so called training class is actually part of a corporation that rents space at the school. The corporation might even be a call center. I have previously known of corporations that actually do that for customer service, mechanics, data entry and so forth.

[BacSi]

09:55 AM on 04/08/2010

My son graduated from a 4 year school and they had an iron clad promise of a job after graduation.

Jobs with a good starting salary, housing allowance, full medical, interesting travel, additional job training, etc

And ever grad in his class that was a US citizen collected in full. Everyone of them was hired. 100% of the 1000 grads.

They actually do that for every US citizen grad in every class and have done so since the school was opened in 1845.

[TruEngineHearing]

10:20 AM on 04/08/2010

...I don't understand why you didn't want to share the name of this school. Especially if they had an iron-clad promise, which is indeed a sobering commitment - where failure would no doubt be a capital offense.

Aren't you just dying to find out where it is?

[BacSi]

05:57 PM on 04/09/2010

Tuition free also. And you get paid a salary while you are a student. And you get to do sailing on the bay. And free entry to the football games (games you have to attend I might add)

Sounds like a slice of paradise :-)

In truth when my youngen came back from his recruiting visit weekend (the dark of winter just after Christmas break---he stayed with the lowly plebs) as a 12th grader I asked him how it went.

"Dad, those were the unhappiest group of people I have ever seen in my life"

[ZiloRS]

10:24 AM on 04/08/2010

I think that's the fairest thing I've heard..if this is true. Where is this so called school?

[The Albany Kid]

09:29 AM on 04/08/2010

High school "degree"?

[James Croteau]

09:22 AM on 04/08/2010

total gimmick. "can't miss any class or assignments" - they will never pay.

[ZiloRS]

10:25 AM on 04/08/2010

I think that sounds pretty fair, barring any obvious attempts to make people miss classes or giving unfair assignments. Of course the "unfair assignments" part would need to be worked out..as that's probably a matter of perception.

[James Croteau]

06:21 PM on 04/08/2010

I can see a rule that one would need a passing grade of "C" or higher, but people do get sick or things happen. So if you miss a class or some assignment and get a grade of "A" and no job, no refund. total gimmick.

[db08]

01:39 PM on 04/08/2010

yes, you have to learn which is what happens when you go to class and complete assignments....you are not buying a degree or a job.