Pinnacle Career Institute

Pinnacle Career Institute (PCI) is a technical career college with two campuses in the Kansas City, Missouri, area and one campus in Lawrence, Kansas. In addition, they have online education and flex education programs. Other attributes of the school include a massage clinic for massage therapy courses and boot camps for the Personal Trainer[1] and Wind Turbine Technician programs. The massage clinic is open to the public and provides students an opportunity to work with real clients. The boot camp experiences take students offsite to work with professionals in the field and gain hands-on education. These opportunities follow the school’s philosophy that hands-on learning and real-world experiences are extremely valuable to student success.[2]

History

The South Kansas City location has been teaching career education programs since 1953 when it first opened its doors as Electronics Institute, in Missouri. In 1992, Jeffery C. Freeman and Scott F. Freeman purchased the school and began expanding its programs. The school changed its name in September 2002 to Pinnacle Career Institute.

The Lawrence location was originally the Center for Training in Business and Industry. In 1998, Scott F. and Jeffrey C. Freeman acquired the school, and it soon became Lawrence Career College. On February 3, 2003, the school was changed to Pinnacle Career Institute to join its sister school in South Kansas City.

In January 2005, Pinnacle Career Institute started teaching distance education programs through their Learning Management System. The online career education is delivered year-round and provides students with a flexible way to earn an Associate of Occupational Studies degree or certification.

The North Kansas City location opened its doors in April 2008 to meet the growing demand in the Kansas City area. The North Kansas City campus is an additional campus of PCI.

Today, PCI offers programs that prepare students for careers in fields such as Alternative Energy, Business, Health & Fitness,[3] Medical, and Trades & Technical.

Education

All of Pinnacle Career Institute’s programs are designed in an accelerated format. Students can complete most programs in one to two years.

Programs at Pinnacle Career Institute include:

The online programs at Pinnacle Career Institute offer an alternative to working adult students. Pinnacle Career Institute’s online education programs are available year-round through the school’s Learning Management System. With this virtual learning experience, students are able to view and listen to lectures, participate in class discussions, chat live with students and instructors, complete assignments, take tests, and access web-based tutorials.

To provide library resources to online students, Pinnacle Career Institute partners with Library and Information Resources Network to provide web access to a virtual library of materials. The online database is available 24 hours a day to allow students to work when it is convenient for them.

Pinnacle Career Institute’s Flex Education programs are a hybrid of on-campus and online learning. This format gives students hands-on experiences in the classroom and the convenience of studying when and where it works for them. The Health Information Technician, Medical Billing & Coding, Personal Trainer, and Wind Turbine Technician programs can be taken in the blended format.

Student services

Pinnacle Career Institute has a Career Services department provides students and graduates full-time and part-time employment assistance. The department has career counseling, resume and cover letter review, mock interview training, job postings, on-site career fairs, and personal job coaching.

Pinnacle Career Institute also has financial aid opportunities to students who qualify. The school participates in Title IV funding through the Department of Education and administers the Pell Grant, Student Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal Stafford and PLUS Loan programs. The school also has scholarships[4] based on academics, ethnicity, military services and other aspects.

Boot camp

Pinnacle Career Institute provides students with boot camp opportunities in two of its programs, Wind Turbine Technician and Personal Trainer.

PCI’s Personal Trainer program includes a week-long boot camp in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Professional Fitness Institute®. Instructors at the camp include celebrity fitness professionals like Jay Cutler and Beth Horn. The boot camp is meant to prepare students for the ACE-CPT or NSCA-CPT professional certification examination.

The Wind Turbine Technician boot camp[5] is held north of Kansas City, Missouri. Students experience hands-on education from Pinnacle Career Institute’s instructors including having the ability to be certified ENSA North America for Safe Access and Rescue and Tower Climbing.

Online students in Medical Assisting and HVAC Technicians also have a boot camp experience at the end of their program. This is to give them the hands on experience and help prepare for certification exams.

Accreditation

Pinnacle Career Institute located in North Kansas City*

An additional location of Pinnacle Career Institute

Pinnacle Career Institute located in South Kansas City

Pinnacle Career Institute located in Lawrence

Pinnacle Career Institute Online Education

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Pinnacle Career institute fills demand for personal trainers in KC". Kansas City Business Journal. Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved 1/9/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ "http://www.careercollegecentral.com/pr/pr/Kansas_City_Business_Journal_Ranks_Pinnacle_Career_Institute_as_One_of_Kansas_City%E2%80%99s_Top_25_Area_Colleges_and_Universities". Kansas City Business Journal. Career College Central. Retrieved 1/9/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ↑ "Pinnacle Career Institute Educator Named Best Allied Health Instructor of 2010". Career College Central. Career College Central. Retrieved 1/9/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ↑ "Pinnacle Career Institute Donates $10,000 to Imagine America Foundation’s 21st Century Workforce Fund". PR Web. Yahoo! News!. Retrieved 1/9/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ↑ "Pinnacle Career Institute Students Meeting the Demand for Trained Wind Technicians". PR Web. PR Web. Retrieved 1/9/2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)