When a single company has multiple employees to certify, it can request that PCI conduct a quality control school solely for its employees. Such a school is not open for registration to any outside individual and is therefore considered a “private” school. The school date and location is not published on the PCI website and registration forms are not generated for the event. Instead, each student is required to complete an Individual Certification Application (ICA).

PCI will contract directly with any company requesting a private school. PCI will provide an instructor and all course materials necessary to adequately train individuals to certification requirements. Contracts/Agreements for private schools include examinations for all students that meet certification eligibility requirements.

Once it contracts for a private school, the company is hereto referred to as “client.” The client is required to provide a proper classroom location, adequate for the number of employees it wants to train. Additional requirements (such as audio/visual needs, meal times, etc.) are addressed in the contract/agreement and should be discussed prior to finalizing. Course dates are mutually agreed upon between the client and PCI and are specified in the agreement.

Pricing

Companies may find it cost effective to contract for a private school if training as few as 5 to 10 employees. Various factors impact these numbers, including your proximity to an already-scheduled QC school, the cost of each individual registration, the number of hotel rooms you would occupy, and more. It is left to the company's discretion whether or not the private school option is right for them.

Costs

The total cost of a private school is the sum of two fees; an instructor fee (fixed) and a per-person certification administration fee. The instructor fee covers all of the instructor expenses, including his/her time (we use graduate engineers for all of our training), travel, meals, and accommodations. The instructor fee is due at the time the agreement is signed. No instructor will be released to secure travel or accommodations for a private school until the instructor fee is paid. A delay in payment of the instructor fee may compromise PCI’s ability to honor the selected dates of the private school. We therefore encourage individuals to submit payment with the signed contract.

The second part of the cost of a private school is the per-person certification administration fee. This fee covers the cost of all textbooks and handout materials for the training, the administration and grading of the examination(s), the preparation of certification credentials after the exam and shipping/postage costs. This fee is calculated based on the actual number of students trained and is, therefore, due after the private school event. PCI will not release the certification credentials of any individual until the balance is paid in full. These fees follow:

Calculating your cost

When you know which training you’re interested in, multiply the number of students you want to train by the variable fee in the table above. Then, add the instructor fee associated with the training you’re seeking.

If you are a PCI member and are considering a private Level I/II school, the per-person fee according to the chart above is $485. If you have ten students to train, then this part of the cost would be $4,850 ($485/person * 10 people). In addition, you would be responsible for the instructor fee for this training. According to the first table above the Level I/II instructor fee is $8,000.

Total Cost: $8,000 + $4,850 = $12,850

You can compare this amount to the total cost of training the students at a school already scheduled. Costs are listed on all registration forms at the Quality Control Training Courses page. If we can help you decide if a private school is right for you, please contact education@pci.org.