UTI, ATC, LTI are they worth the time or money?
 

So its a general question about the automotive training schools in the area. Universal Training Institute and Automotive Training center in Exton and Lincoln Tech in Philly. The general consensus I'm getting about these schools are that they are horrible. Poor Student/Teacher ratio, outdated equipment, Lack of knowledge and experience from the instructors. Basically more money goes into production of the infomercials then the actual schools. Obviously a recruiter is gonna tell me none of this is true just to get me to sign up.

Does anyone have any insight that is different from this?

I checked around the forum couldn't really find any info

in to hear more about this stuff, may consider going to a tech school

on sale went to ATC and he said it was a waste of money, he was learning things he already knew.... replacing brake pads, and ****

I'd go take a tour of the schools but I'm well aware of the song and dance they put on for potential students painting the best picture possible.

these schools have GREAT salesmen. my roommate and i went to UTI close to two years ago and neither are in the automotive field now. When you are signing up they promise you the stars and as you approach graduation they tell you "most of you will most likely start out at 9-11 dollars an hour". UTI was a total waste of money, and everyone i am friendly with that went there when i did are not in the automotive fields now either.

While i agree, you probably get out what you put in. I learned more having a job at a tires plus (before i went to the school) than i did while there. Nothing compares to hands on experience in a real world setting. Both my roommate and i are in a "regular" college now, working towards total non car related degrees (law school and biology). i realized i would rather make 6 or 7 figures and buy all the toys i want than work on other peoples toys and be broke with a pair of greasy hands to show for my hard work.

With that being said, you are going to make your own decision (obviously). but i strongly advise against these places (or UTI at least).

i was suppose to go to uti 2 years ago but decided againist it because of what i heard as dave just stated. i heard wyotech is deff worth it thought as a friend of mine went there. if anything i would go to wyotech.

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking Automotive Engineering might be a better choice for me.

The schools are a joke really, I went to Pennco Tech in Bristol for Elec. They don't teach you much expect for stuff you don't need to know. You will only learn if you put the effort into it and teach your self. I went to school in 06, and about a year and a half later I found a job. The schools don't help you on a individual bases like they tell you. Maybe it was my experience or what, who knows.

As a former UTI student I ask you to please think about it. UTI is actually a good school and you actually do learn alot and about theory. But IMO not worth how much it is and yes they do promise you the stars this and that...helping you find a job all that is bull they just give you a resume and off you go. Put it this way really think about it the Auto Indusrty is dieing right now and it is continuing to get worse and worse. Really I don't see a recovery for Auto Tech for a couple years. I grad and bought 8,000 worth of tools and a box from snap-on and I can't even get a job as a tech from the economy. All my tools and box I'm paying on is collecting dust. I should have got a degree for something else instead and left it as a hobby. Plus bro theres only so many years you can take of constant akes and pains, grease, weather and other men you work with before you say f uck this.

you get what you put into it. All of the people I know who went through it and said it was a waste didn't apply themselves. I have learned a vast amount of information and skills that I didn't know before I went in, and I went in knowing a good amount. These schools are sadly a place for kids who don't want to goto college, or didn't make it into college to goto. Its full of idiots who don't care is they pass or fail in life. Stand out from these idiots, show yourself and your instructors that you are there to learn, and you will get a lot out of it.

As for the industry, who the hell knows where that is going. But car's aren't going anywhere anytime soon...and since no one can afford new cars at the moment, they have to fix the ones they have.

Oh and the entrance reps are so rediculous is a joke.

This is true you'll see alot of retards at these schools and so so many accidents. And yes you will learn if you apply yourself but all in all for me atleast I should have left it as a side job/hobby thing.

Try searching a little harder, There has been numerous threads on it. When it comes down to it you get out of it what you put in. It just sucks how you will have one teacher that gives you all the answers, lets you sleep all day. Then next class if you fall asleep you get sent home.

My advice is to find a shop that is willing to take you on as an apprentice. You'll learn a hell of a lot more.

I guarantee you I learned more in the 2 years I spent in the field learning from other fabricators and race mechanics then all of the people in any of them schools.

By 20 years old I was helping build $50,000 nitro motors and $120,000 long travel dune buggies.

Umm same thing cept i graduated last may for ACHR (air conditioning, heating and refrigeration) they were no help in the job process stating you will have no problem going into the field as a service tech. Most companys wont even look at you without 3-5 years exp as a tech. BS.

a buddy of mine went to one of these schools and now he does nothing related to the automotive field. just some food for thought

I went to UTI and it was complete garbage. The entire time I was in it I talked it up like it was something great. I went with two of my other friends and they hated it the entire time. I took the school 100% serious and did the best I could with all the idiots I had to deal with in class, and team mates not showing up or helping with group work. And it still sucked. The only good **** I got out of UTI was how to use scan tools and some diag stuff, but there is SOOO MUCH they have to teach you in a 3 week span, with 30 students in the class that the teachers just can't handle it. Also not to mention the teachers that choose favorites in the class and tend to help them out more.

I learned MORE in the 2 and a half years I was a tech after I graduated then I did the entire time I was in school. I also learned that being the new guy you deal with the worst of the worst and you don't get paid anywhere near what the guys doing all the gravy are doing.

I recently lost my job back in the end of September and it took me 3 months to find a new tech job, and I quit after 2 days of working there because it was such a mess of a shop.

There was a UTI Teacher (or a should say ex teacher) who was a member on here. He quit because of the **** that went on at UTI and how all they cared about was $$$ and not the students. His name was Jim Lewis.

I could go on about this FOREVER, but I'd rather not.

The truth is it's a business not a school. You can buy stock in them. It may not work out for some but it does for others. I know plenty of kids myself included that make great money and love their job so far. Even though every old guy in the shop will tell you they hate it. I mean i'm about to be 21 and make roughly 80k a year. Not many people can say that

yeah UTI has no classes longer than 4 weeks, ATC on the other hand has some 8 week classes for the more involved stuff. I feel that makes a huge difference. You cant learn all there is to know about computer diag/ OBD in 4 weeks.

stay far far away from lincoln tech, equipment is out dated, teacher are poorly trained, and while i was there the students seemed like kids that didnt get into college and that was there last resort before prison!!!!! trust me if you need more info on the school pm me and ill feel free to go more in depth.

i go to uti and its not what they make it out to be. they care more about their image than about teaching you. i have awesome grades there so i am applying myself and yea i am learning things but they could teach a lot more. you rarely take parts off of cars, every part is handed to you. its rarely hands on also. i just wish they actually cared more about teaching us how to do more **** than spending 98% of time on theory. like i said, and i have said it to them also, they need to stop worrying about their (fake) image and money and start teaching.

oh and 2 more things. a lot of the kids that go there feel the same exact way that i do. if you really want to be treated like a little kid and like youre in boot camp then uti is the place.

and if i had to do it all over again, i would have gone to wyotech.

thanks for all the info. I agree that any school you go to you will get out of it what you put in. But to have to compete to get a teachers attention, not cool. Especially for the price. From what I'm hearing from a few review sites around the web Wyotech isn't much better, was never really an option for me since its out by Pittsburgh but ya know.

Bottom line.

The world of working on cars comes down to one thing and one thing only. Experience. Most places couldn't care less if you can wave a piece of paper from UTI/ATC/etc in their face, they want to know how much time you've spent in a garage.

If you want to get into the automotive industry, the best thing to do is get a shop apprentice/noob job and start working your way up.

Sorry but that is completly untrue. I agree the best thing is working but you need to go to a tech school. No BMW, Lexus, Audi or benz dealer is even going to look at you if haven't been to tech school and have some ASE's. Maybe if you started out at a mom and pop shop it'd be a different story

They also aren't going to take you if your tech school was UTI or ATC, lol. Most of the time you need to have the obvious licenses and you will also need to go to a make specific tech school.

IE, if I decide to get into the Honda dealership finally they will be sending me to "Honda school" to learn about Honda specific parts/problems/etc.

Plus, who the hell wants to work on European cars all day, blagh.

If I'm not mistaken, BMW techs are one of the highest payed factory techs.

Well that brings up another question, are their elective courses any better, the factory specific ones I mean.

haha quit while your ahead, you really have no idea. If you actually do good and pay attention UTI and ATC will teach you a lot and open a lot of doors. Dealerships will not send you to school until they know you are a good tech and are worth their money. For example I just went to lexus college last week after being there since august. Today they wrote me a check for 1200 dollars reimbursing me for my hotel/food/gas and paid me 40 hours. Going to school cost's a lot of money for dealers, they don't send every kid that goes to uti or atc, you have to prove yourself and work for them first. I worked for Acura for a year and a half and they were a very cheap company. They hardly ever sent you to school and when they did you pay'd for everything. Are you a tech or a backyard mechanic because you talk like you have been through this?

i went to atc and i wish i could get my money and the wasted time of my life back

Yes they are. You will learn more in the first month of Ford FACT than all of UTI combined.

You must of been one of the kids that slept all day...

You are talking about the elective courses at UTI and the like not other schools run by factories? Just wanted to be clear on that

Im currently a student at UTI and honestly it is a good school. all of the instructors that I have had so far have tons of experience in the field and i have learned alot of things that i didnt know before I got there. When i started I had already been working in the automotive field for four years. You can get out of it exactly what they say you can but you have to work for it. it's not going to be handed to you. I been there since march 08, still have a 4.0 and am set to graduate this summer. Unfortunately the school is heavily populated with kids who dont want to be there and chose car school over the military when there parents made them choose. Its those guys who say UTI sucks and they didnt learn anything. Its kinda hard to learn when your passed out for 5 out of 6 hours a day. If your are interested in a automotive training school i will say go for more than just the basic program. try for a MSAT and take ford or toyota electives to give you a competitive edge against the dumb asses that are trying for the same job.

well said. It's really up to yourself as to what you do afterwards. I don't know any other 21 year old's making 65k+ a year and loving what they do. Also tons of room to move up and make the big bucks

Since I have you on the line, what is tuition like, the schedule, etc. I'd rather ask a current student then a recruiter for fear of endless phone calls whether I go or not...lol

yes uti has ford fact, t-pat (toypta), and then you can try to get into an msat. they have audi, vw, bmw, mercedes, nissan, and a couple others. it is a good school, i just wish they did things differently like more hands on and stopped worrying about their stupid image. i agree with what was said above though, most of the kids that hate it sleep in class.

05 subie nailed it to a T. I graduate from UTI in may and im not satisfied whatsoever with the lack shop time. The reps bullsh*t everything when you go in to talk to them. Hands on is little to none in my opinion. Theory is pretty much watching a power point but the things the teachers teach you from being in the field is great. Unless you take it upon yourself you will never touch your text book in school, but reading it will help alot. You have to work at it to get anything out of it. The diagnostics classes are pretty good though. I just wish I got more time to apply what I learned in the class on an actuall car. They do have the top of the line equipment though. A good plus is the electives you can take and the msats you can apply for.

waste of time!

Well to be honest I've only had experience with becoming a Honda tech. I have basically zero "real" credentials but I've already been offered jobs as one, just haven't been able to take any yet. Like I said, they just want to have experience over anything really, and will want me to go to Honda school to learn whatever. I don't know if they are going to pay for my schooling, all I know is that they would be sending me. I'm pretty sure no matter what you'll have to go to a make specific tech school anymore if you want to work for a dealership, but I could be wrong.

All that aside, my point was, if two people walk into a dealership and one is a fresh UTI graduate but the other has 5 years of working as a tech, the guy with the experience will probably get hired before the UTI person in most cases.

I just droped from atc a week ago and yea u get in shop everyday u get half shop and half class but if your just getting into the automotive field no vo tech or nothing like that i dont recommend it cause you are placed in classed with guys that are about to graduate in a couple of weeks that will answer everything and leave you clueless as to what you are doing. The uniforms sucked and like we all siad im paying to come here why are u guys b!7ch!n so much. They do make it so nice at the interivews and stuff cuz the ladys are hot well one is and they are told what to say your financial aid is like hardly mentioned to you only when u owe. Its not worth what they are "selling" it to you for i recommend yo just goto a vo tech and get ur certifications and just build from there. vo tech-10k+ atc uti-30k+