The Computer School of New Jersey, located next to the I-Hop on 32nd Street and Kennedy Blvd. in Union City, has come a long way since it held its first class on Feb. 15 of last year. The school that once was described by owner Carol Pereyra as a private-pay, custom-made school, now has more than 100 programs approved by the New Jersey Department of Education in all areas of computer training as well as English as a Second Language and GED Certification.
“We knew that in order to be competitive, the training had to be certified by an accredited agency,” said Carol Pereyra, who added that the school offers classes in graphic design, webmaster, computer programming and technical certifications. “This is technically a private vocational school, not a training center”
By custom made, Pereyra meant that if a student enrolled in the school and wanted to learn a specific task, the school would assign a trainer that would teach that task.
The school has also been approved by the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services to offer enrollment to nonimmigrant alien students.
This approval allows people with a tourist or business Visa to receive a M1 Visa that allows them to stay in this country as long as they are attending 20 hours of training a week. An M2 Visa is also issued to their family members.
A person who is being trained is then able to stay in the country as long as they attend school, and then can work in their field for a limited time.
One-on-one teaching
Although the programs taught at the school have been accredited by the state, the school still operates on a custom-made system.
“All curriculums are set up for modular teaching,” said Pereyra. “Almost all of our classes you can start on any Monday.”
The school’s class schedules vary in length and are geared toward flexibility.
“This is a new concept in educational training,” said Pereyra. “It allows students to have all of the control.” The school offers one-on-one training, day career programs and evening and weekend career programs in a variety of different computer-based fields.
Among these fields are A+ certification, which allows a student to enter a career in building, repair and upgrade of computers, and MCSE certification, which deals with networking
“These are really desirable certifications,” said one of the school’s owners, Carol Pereyra. “People want those.” Pereyra added, “You are learning a career [at the computer school]. Not just a computer class.”
Although the programs taught at the school have been accredited by the state, the school still operates on a custom-made system.
“All curriculums are set up for modular teaching,” said Pereyra. “Almost all of our classes you can start on any Monday.”
Pereyra added, “This is a new concept in educational training.” He explained that students can take either a 300-hour class or attend school two nights a week with a personal trainer. “It allows students to have all of the control.”
However, if you are just looking for a computer to use to access the Internet or type a resume, The Computer School allows the community to access its DSL superfast Internet connection or use their computers for $6 an hour.
The hands-on training that the school offers also allows its graduates a better chance at getting a job after graduating.
“Either they’ve read about it or they’ve done it,” said Pereyra. “[Employers] want to know you’ve done it.” Right now the school works with three firms that place its graduates.
“We also receive calls from companies that know we are here,” said another owner of the business, Howard Messer.
The Computer School’s graduates have been placed in positions ranging from entry level to senior management.
Expanding the school
With all of these extra programs and services, the school seems to have outgrown its one classroom location. “The goal right now is to move to larger quarters,” said Messer. They will be doing so at the end of this month. While keeping their location next to I-HOP, the school will be adding a lobby and three classrooms on the second floor of the Drug Emporium Building in the same center.
The new 4,000 square foot addition will hold about 60 computers that will offer all of the newest technology. “This is going to be a state-of-the-art multimedia center that nobody in the area has even come close to,” said Pereyra.
The current location will be used mostly for registration, education counseling and one-on-one instruction. The school also falls under the Workforce Investment Act, which works with welfare recipients to provide them with the training they need to find a job.