Controversial school quits NZ after less than a year

By ADAM GIFFORD

Com Tech Education Services has pulled out of New Zealand, less than a year after launching its Microsoft-oriented courses.

Steve Ross, Australia and New Zealand general manager of parent company Dimension Data, said the Karangahape Rd premises would be used as the city sales office of the group's distribution business, Express Data. Another of the group's training companies, Training Partners, which specialises in Cisco training, will continue.

"We were late to market, and the New Zealand market is well served in the Microsoft [training] area, with companies like Auldhouse being very strong," Mr Ross said.

He said Com Tech Education Services would close at the end of the month.

The New Zealand manager would run the Canberra operation, and one staff member would stay for two months to help graduating students to get jobs.

Com Tech's foray into New Zealand has been controversial. Its bachelor of computing (Network Technologies) degree course, offered in association with Deakin University, has led to disputes tribunal action against at least one former student and disgruntlement from others.

Students with the initial intake said Com Tech did not cover all the material needed to pass the Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (MCP) certificate, so all students failed the exam at the first sitting.

Despite Com Tech advising prospective students: "You will need to be available full time for study during the first six months," the schedule covered only three months.

When one student, Blair Hollands, told Com Tech he was dropping out and would not resit the exam through them, he was brought before the Disputes Tribunal and ordered to pay a further $4725 in fees, even though the job he was going to had nothing to do with Com Tech.

Mr Hollands said he had filed an appeal for a rehearing.

Another student, Nick Harvey, said he passed the MCP exam only after delaying for a couple of weeks while he studied the subjects not covered by Com Tech.

That meant a job arranged through Com Tech fell through, and it took a further three months before he found a position independently.

Com Tech then charged him a further $6000 in fees. Mr Harvey said Com Tech claimed employers were lining up to take graduates, but were unable to deliver good job leads. Mr Ross said Com Tech took a risk on New Zealand students by charging only a third of the fees up front, making the rest conditional on their getting a job.

"We maintained a 95 per cent placement rate."