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FAQs

General Questions

Can you tell us what your best-selling courses are?

Absolutely. We track the top 50 national best-selling courses and our Training Assessment Manager (TAM) or Director of Sales can provide you with that information. We update this list at the end of each business year and make it available to all of our partner schools so they can see what courses have the highest interest levels. This often helps them decide what courses they might want to add, if they are not offering all of ProTrain’s courses.

Which in classroom courses do you typically offer?

ProTrain can offer in classroom instruction in most of the Business Management, and IT/Computer Science Courses that we have online content for already. We are growing our instructor capability all the time as we have seen different functional areas which may also have an in classroom requirement for a school partner who wants to offer such a class but does not have the staff/faculty to cover that subject. In almost every case, if you have a requirement for an in classroom instructor, just ask our TAM or Director of Sales and we can get you that instructor with the right credentials in almost every case.

Do you track student progress? How do you support or screen potential students?

We can track student progress. We have various methods in obtaining a progress report on a student. For about 65% of courses taken, we can pull an automated report on a student through our registration system. For the rest, we go direct to our content developer and do an individual Progress Report (PR) for that student. We are continuing to work with our content developers to upgrade the means to pull automated PRs in the most expeditious manner. Students are provided a toll-free number that they can call to access live help between 8:00 AM and 6 PM EST. Students (or potential students) can access these tutorials using a current Web Browser at their convenience.

How do we go about submitting workforce development (WFD) paperwork?

Each state has a Workforce Investment Board (WIB) that has a different methodology in submitting courses for approval to use toward WIA tuition assistance. Some states have this process done manually, while others have automated the submission application for easy electronic filing for approval. ProTrain is experienced in numerous methods of application that a WIB might require. Our staff can help reduce the administrative burden on a partner by doing this work for them, in the format required by your state. Just let us know what assistance you need and we can do it.

How do I determine my level of proficiency with computers?

If you want to determine your level of proficiency with computers, a great free resource is the https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/ provided by the Northstar Digital Literacy Project. Completion of modules one through four would demonstrate enough proficiency with computers to be able to take an online course.

Are these courses ADA and Section 508 compliant?

Disabilities come in many forms, including but not limited to hearing impairment, visual impairment, and cognitive disorders. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate all users who require compliant web browsers, enabling software, or assistive devices. We strive to ensure the accessibility of our education and training programs to students with special needs by staying up to date on current practices, applying new technologies and advancements, and conducting testing throughout development of the education and training programs.

Accessible Web design provides benefits to both those using assistive technology, as well as others. It provides benefits to users with text-based browsers, low-end processors, slow modem connections, or users who do not have state-of-the-art computer equipment. It also allows for easier access to the Internet via technologies, such as internet-enabled phones or personal digital assistants. ProTrain has submitted and has had continuously approved a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). A VPAT evaluates the accessibility of our education and training programs according to the Section 508 Standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) through the amendment with the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as also amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220). Every two years, ProTrain completes a new VPAT for their learning management system.

Students must notify ProTrain 10 days prior to the start date of their course for ProTrain to provide accommodations. For an academic adjustment, you will be required to provide documentation prepared by an appropriate professional, such as a medical doctor, psychologist, or other qualified diagnostician. The required documentation may include one or more of the following: a diagnosis of your current disability, as well as supporting information, such as the date of the diagnosis, how that diagnosis was reached, and the credentials of the diagnosing professional; information on how your disability affects a major life activity; and information on how the disability affects your academic performance. The documentation should provide enough information for you and your school to decide what is an appropriate academic adjustment. The student bears the responsibility for any payments associated with the acquisition of the aforementioned documentation.

What does Connect ANYTIME. Online mean?

These courses are available to students at their convenience to enroll and access 24/7, 365 days a year.

What does Connect LIVE. In Person mean?

These courses are taught in a physical classroom that students report to with a live instructor that teaches based on a predetermined schedule.

What does Connect LIVE. Online mean?

These courses are taught real time online by a live instructor based on a predetermined schedule.

What are the minimum requirements to take a course?

Students should have at least a 10th grade reading level in order to take a course. More additional prerequisites can be found on each individual course outline if necessary.

How are your course completion rates determined?

Completion Rate data is from the past two years and excludes learners who dropped or withdrew from their program. Data only includes learners who completed at least 50% or more of their program.

The completion rate based on students who have progressed through at least half of the program is a benchmark used by several content providers. It distinguishes the success of students who demonstrated a personal investment in their course of study.

Questions from Students

What is the online course refund policy?

The student/user did not access any portion of the online course and the student/user requests a refund, in writing via email within three business days from the date of the course setup (email notification sent). There will be no refunds for any online courses (or curricula) once a course has been accessed in any manner. All shipped course materials (books, study guides, CDs, Self-Study Kits, Videos, etc.) are returned, unopened/unused at your own expense if you accept delivery of the package.

What is the grievance and complaint policy?

ProTrain’s about “Education to Employment” to assist the student population in gaining employment, or developing stackable skill sets to further their career. If a student has a grievance, the following procedure must be followed. It is ProTrain’s desire that a grievance be settled at the lowest possible level and resolved as rapidly as possible.

  1. A student will attempt to resolve a grievance with the person involved.
  2. If a student is unable to resolve the grievance with the person involved, it should be submitted in writing to that person’s supervisor.
  3. If the grievance is still unresolved after two days, the student should submit a written summary to grievance@protrain.edu. A meeting will be set up to include the student, person involved, and someone from the executive leadership team. Every effort will be made to resolve the grievance at this point.
  4. Students that have addressed their concern to the executive leadership team and have not reached their desired outcome, or have an issue directly related to the executive leadership team the student will be referred to file a formal complaint with a higher governing authority.

ProTrain College is accredited by Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools and must have a procedure and operational plan for handling student complaints. The student may also consider contacting the school’s accreditor.

State Complaint Information

Students in certificate programs have a right to file complaints with the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS):

  • North Carolina Community College System
  • 5026 Mail Service Center
  • Raleigh, NC 27699-5026
  • (919) 733-7051

For more information, send an email to: studentcomplaint@northcarolina.edu

Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools

  • 3624 Market Street, 2 West
  • Philadelphia, PA 19104
  • Main Telephone Number: 267-284-5000
  • Email: info@msa-cess.org

What is the minimum course completion requirement to get credit for completion of a course / certificate / certification learning plan?

Course completion requirements differ by course. Majority of courses will require students to achieve a 70 or higher on lesson quizzes and / or a 70 or higher on the end of course examination.

How long does it take to complete a program?

Nearly all of our courses and programs are self-paced and open enrollment, so you can start your training immediately and move at your own pace until completion. Most programs can be completed with-in 4 to 6 months after you register but you are given plenty of time to complete if needed. Course and Program lengths vary depending on the subject matter. All courses and programs list the average number of hours to complete and the length of time you have to access your training. As a general rule, if you spend 5 to 7 hours per week on your studies you should be able to complete your training in the timeframe allotted.

Do I have to buy additional materials?

Most materials that you will need are included. If your materials are included then their cost will be covered by your tuition. For those courses that do not have materials included, you will be told by your Training Assessment Manager (TAM). Also, Software is not included/supplied with any course/program at all. We will ship materials that are included through ground service upon enrollment. Some course and programs contain online material for download only. For these courses shipping of books is not required. Please make sure that you list a valid mailing address and we cannot ship to P.O. Boxes.

Do I have to login and attend class at a certain time or be forced to study on a fixed schedule?

No. Students are encouraged to work at their own individual pace in order to get the maximum benefit from their course. Login when you want (24×7) and start learning. You may progress through your course as quickly or slowly as you wish provided that you finish your training.

What system requirements are needed for these programs/courses?

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

  • Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our learning management system, students may experience connectivity issues.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

  • CPU: 1 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 4 GB or higher
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
      • 1920×1080 resolution or higher is recommended for the best experience.
  • Speakers / Headphones
  • Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

  • Windows 7 or higher.
  • Mac OSX 10 or higher.
  • Latest Chrome OS
  • Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

  • Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
  • Latest Mozilla FireFox
  • Latest Microsoft Edge
  • Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

  • Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
  • PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
  • Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.

What are the differences between self-paced, mentor supported, and instructor supported?

A self-paced course means that the student is given all of the resources necessary to study, understand and pass the course. There is not an industry expert available for these courses to help the student understand the content of the course. A mentor supported course functions the same way as a self-paced course does but there is an industry expert available for these courses to help the student further understand the content of the course. An instructor supported course means that the course has an instructor who will dictate the flow of the course. The instructor is also there to help the student understand content related questions of the course and grade turned in assignments from the student.

What is the difference between certification and certificate programs?

Certificate: Programs listed as certificates will provide a student a certificate of completion at the end of their course. This can be used as proof that the student passed the program with a grade of 70 or higher in each module of study. Certification: Programs listed as certifications prepare a student to take a national certification exam after the program is completed. Usually, the cost of a certification exam is not included in the price of a course unless specified. Certification exams are proctored by third party companies located across the United States.

If I want to purchase an exam, when should I do this? What is the time frame I will need to purchase this exam?

You will want to let your Training Assessment Manager know that you want an exam included with your course. Then you have up to one year after your course expires to get your voucher. Therefore, after your course is complete, you will want to contact your Training Assessment Manager as soon as possible.

Is funding available for training?

We understand that sometimes paying for training can be a financial burden. We believe that no one should miss out on training or obtaining the job of your dreams. If you need a loan for your online certificate or program, our convenient Continuing Education Loan or monthly payment plans may be just the solution you are looking for.

What if I have a question, but don’t know who to ask?

During your course, questions will undoubtedly arise. If you do not have an instructor or mentor, your course URL typically will have a ‘contact us’ option. If you are unable to login to utilize any of the aforementioned options, please call 1.800.371.2963 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST, or send your name, e-mail address, and phone number, along with the name of your course, to techsupport@protrainedu.org and someone will contact you as soon as possible.

What kind of financial assistance does this school or its partner, ProTrain offer students wanting to take a course?

We know that many schools cannot offer any financial aid for CE non-credit programs. Financial assistance like Pell grants and FAFSA are not available since these are CE non-credit programs. At times, a continuing education department also cannot offer Sallie Mae loans.

Where can I find the hours and access length for a course and what do they mean?

The hours and access length for a course is found at the top of the full outlines underneath the title of the course. The number of hours displayed is the amount of time it should take a normal student to complete that course. Beside the hours is the access length for the course. Most of our courses are 12 months in length so it will display 12 Months. (i.e. 300 Hours / 12 Months Access)

As a student taking an in-classroom, online, and/or synchronous class wherein the cost was out of pocket and not paid through an outside source, will I be issued a 1098 T Form at the end of the calendar year?

No. This school is not required to issue 1098 T forms at this time, pursuant to the IRS eligibility requirements. The student should seek guidance from a tax professional as to the possible deductibility of expenses, as this school is not authorized to provide tax advice. The school encourages students to maintain records of their expenses.

What happens if I am taking a course for a certification exam and that certification exam expires before my course end date?

We will attempt to notify students as soon as possible about upcoming exam changes via our course outlines and monthly progress reports. If a student is in a course where the certification exam has expired, the student still has the remaining duration of their enrollment time in the current course content. Once the new course content is available, students are contacted on a case by case basis to work with them on their options to receive the new content. In most cases, students will receive a heavily discounted upgrade fee for the new content.

What is the live online course refund policy?

There can be no refund for the course, once the first class has been concluded; or if any course material, including the eBook, is accessed. If extenuating circumstances exist, case by case situations will be reviewed by ProTrain. If a refund is issued, the refunded amount (- a $25 processing fee) will be dependent upon books being returned in excellent condition (i.e. no writing, missing pages; ripped or damage to pages and/or binding).

What is the in person course refund policy?

No refund for course, once the first class has been concluded. If extenuating circumstances exist, case by case situations will be reviewed by ProTrain. If refund is issued, refunded amount will be dependent upon books being returned in excellent condition (i.e. no writing, missing pages; ripped or damage to pages and/or binding).

Questions From Partners

Do we have to take all 500+ courses?

Absolutely not. About 60% of our partners believe that if they don’t offer it, they can’t sell it. Nonetheless, there are schools that have some restrictions that the main campus has placed on the Continuing Education side that doesn’t allow certain courses or programs to “compete” with the in class enrollment programs. Areas such as Legal/Paralegal are sometimes an area that Continuing Education might not be allowed to offer. Each school can use our Partner Data Worksheet (PDW) and highlight only the courses they wish to offer or they can highlight all our course offerings.

I’m an Augusoft-Lumens partner – How does that change enrollments?

As an Augusoft-Lumens partner, your students register for our courses thru your system. The bridge that connects the Augusoft registration to our course offerings has been designed to allow for only those ProTrain courses you wish students to be able to select to be offered on your behalf.

So, you actually provide us marketing materials?

Yes, ProTrain has designed over 20 plus functional training area marketing materials flyers that we provide at no charge to our partner schools. These flyers are all in editable Word documents that allow the partner school to add its own logo and contact information quickly and send out electronically to perspective students/corporate clients or print for target events or in catalogs. On the average, this can save a school up to 40% of their annual marketing budget in just design time and costs alone.

How do you handle refunds? What is your policy?

Online Courses: The student/user did not access any portion of the online course and the student/user requests a refund, in writing via email within three business days from the date of the course setup (email notification sent). There will be no refunds for any online courses (or curricula) once a course has been accessed in any manner. All shipped course materials (books, study guides, CDs, Self-Study Kits, Videos, etc.) are returned, unopened/unused at your own expense if you accept delivery of the package. Live Online Courses: There can be no refund for the course, once the first class has been concluded; or if any course material, including the eBook, is accessed. If extenuating circumstances exist, case by case situations will be reviewed by ProTrain. If a refund is issued, the refunded amount (- a $25 processing fee) will be dependent upon books being returned in excellent condition (i.e. no writing, missing pages; ripped or damage to pages and/or binding). In Person Courses: No refund for course, once the first class has been concluded. If extenuating circumstances exist, case by case situations will be reviewed by ProTrain. If refund is issued, refunded amount will be dependent upon books being returned in excellent condition (i.e. no writing, missing pages; ripped or damage to pages and/or binding).

What services are available to students enrolled in ProTrain courses?

Services begin with the Registration Process and include technical support, customer support, and Learning Management System support. Students enrolled in MyCAA and WIOA programs will also receive portal management support. ProTrain provides course content updates and support for students throughout their training, including monthly progress reports, email check in, and direct calls to students. Upon completion, students will receive a Certificate of Completion and national certification exam registration assistance, where applicable. Should students require additional time, course extension can be processed, where available.

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