CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB) — Students at one local occupational school are upset tonight after they say they’re not getting the education for which they paid.

Getting a state license to become an electrician in Massachusetts takes several years and thousands of hours of training. That’s why some people go to occupational schools – like Porter and Chester Institutes.

But recently something those electrician students learned about PCI has them shocked.

Tim Holcomb and Tom Minutillo are about 7 months into the year-long electrician program here at Porter and Chester in Chicopee, but even as they get closer to their graduation in October, they say they’re farther away than ever from getting the training they need.

“We attend this school to obtain hours to become an electrician and Porter and Chester, even though we are paying $30,000 we’re only receiving half of our education,” said Holcomb.

At issue is the way electricians are licensed in Massachusetts.

The state mandates two things: 600 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of apprenticeship or on the job training or ‘OJT.’

And while Porter and Chester has a state approved classroom program, it’s OJT is not approved.

“The state says and Porter and Chester that the on the job training is no longer effect. Meaning that all we are working hard for will not include into our hours to become an electrician,” explained Holcomb.

“From my understanding, they were contacted by the state back in February that there was a problem. They’ve done nothing,” said Minutillo.

While no one from Porter and Chester would go on camera, they did send this statement, saying in part: “Until recently, PCI understood students could apply part of their practical shop experience toward the 8,000 hours of on-the-job training required for state licensure.”

In fact, the PCI student catalogue that we pulled up on-line says “Part of the training hours you acquire at Porter and Chester qualify as OJT.”

But clearly, that’s not the case.

“We want to get to the bottom of this,” said Barbara Anthony, Mass. Undersecretary of Consumer Affairs. “If there’s an intentional misrepresentation – that will be dealt with accordingly but the point I want to make is we are looking into the matter. We take an allegation of misrepresentation very seriously.”

PCI maintains it immediately informed students of the problem, but for many who’ve already spent upwards of $30,000 on tuition, they say it’s too little too late.

“If you were here every day for every hour it should have been 684 apprenticeship hours credited to us,” said Minutillo. “Now we get nothing for our money.”

Once more, to be clear, the state does recognize Porter and Chester’s electrician program and will recognize the 600 hours of classroom time, but the state is currently in the process of clarifying whether on-the-job training hours are counted towards a student’s eligibility to take the licensing exam.

And Anthony says it will take a few more weeks to figure it all out.