Does anyone know anything about the Stratford Career Institute? Is it accredited? Is it any good? I have a friend who is interested in obtaining an accounting/bookkeeping diploma. She's having a hard time choosing between Stratford, PCDI and Education Direct. Any suggestions?
My amateur opinion: 1. Stratford Career Institute - Be very careful - walks like a duck, talks like a duck. 2. PCDI and Education Direct - Legitimate DETC accredited. May or may not meet your friends needs. Try using Degreeinfo's search feature for info on DETC, PDCI and/or Education Direct. Is your friend located in Venezuela? Your friend may have some credible local options.
About 7 years ago I took a "diploma" program on Drug & Alcohol counselling through Universal Career Institute, Montreal, a company owned by Stratford at the time. I would not recommend them due to the lax testing methods. I have found that private post-secondary institutions, at least in Canada, provide the student with the latest learning materials, usually more up-to-date than public universities are able to offer. As an example, at the University of Victoria where I began my academic career, a new text was typically 2 years out of date. Not bad. Yet, PPSEC schools - again, in my expereince - provided materials that were only 3 - 4 months in print to one year max. The texts in my D & A program at Universal, for example, were top notch. But I could have passed the exams even with a brain injury! So, hot off the presses latest books vs. tests designed that even the most academically challenged person has a chance at a pass... not a good bet, IMHO.
Not what would be considered college or university level training. If you want to be bookkeeper at a local gas station - go for it. If you aspire, some day, to be vp finance for General Motors - walk away. A waste of time for those academically inclined.
Thanks for replying guys. I guess I'll tell her that of the three, PCDI and Education Direct are the better options. Yes Charles, she lives in Venezuela. She already has a degree in Computerized Accounting from one of our local colleges. I think she just wants to have a diploma from a U.S. institution and to test her English in the process.
