Facebook lifeline for Excom students

Students of the collapsed Excom Education have banded together online to seek redress against the former national trainer.

The publisher of the Excom students' website and Facebook group, "Ash" as he preferred to be known, was left $20,000 in credit card debt when the group collapsed last month.

He said he was near to finishing his course but now can't sit his exams because the voucher codes were stuck inside the failed trainer's computer systems. He said he chose the expensive ExpressIT course because Excom promised a career path.

"That was my only hope, I was looking at a career change," Ash told iTnews.com.au. "I could have done the same course elsewhere for $3000 but I did it with them because they guaranteed a career."

He was swayed to do the course, which included a career builder module, because many of his friends had found employment through the trainer.

"Excom was the one who got them the job and Excom got them interviews. I was impressed that I would get into interviews because that's the hard bit."

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Ash was left with the prospect of paying the debt on his three credit cards while paying again to sit exams and seeking work on the open job market. "It's hard to get your resume on top of list," he said.

He said he set up the two sites because not everyone has a Facebook profile.

"On Facebook is mainly students who were upset and who share information about disputes with credit card providers; we share the knowledge if that can help us or if there's something legal we can do we can get together for that."

Ash, who worked in IT in India and is now an Australian resident, said he was "doing nothing at the moment, I'm relying on Centrelink payments".

Newcastle IT professional Tim Canning lost $2000 in the closure and was considering his options.

"The competitor learning companies are helping out but for me personally they only offered me a slight discount on the full price of a replacement course.

"As I have already paid for it once I am not too keen to pay again.

"Some of these poor kids have lost twenty thousand, so I guess in that way I am one of the lucky ones having only lost about $2000."