Former ITT Tech recruiter: ‘Predatory’ tactics pushed parolees into criminal justice programs

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A former recruiter for ITT Technical institute told reporters in a press conference hosted by committee Chair Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) on Monday that the company used a variety of high-pressure “unconscionable” and “predatory” techniques to pressure students into enrolling with the for-profit college, including misleading parolees into believing that they could secure a job in the criminal justice field after completing a program, according to Republic Report.

Laura Brozek, who spent seven years at three different ITT Tech campuses in Southern California, said the tactics she and her fellow recruiters used included the “pain funnel” and the “pain puzzle.” These tactics “were commonly used to demoralize potential applicants by discussing their life’s shortcomings in order to have them enroll where their life would improve.”

She said parolees who expressed interest in the criminal justice program were encouraged to enroll, even though they knew their parole status would likely disqualify them for any likely job in the field. “In my opinion this is unconscionable,” Brozek said.

The press conference came on the heels of a damning report on for-profit colleges Harkin’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee put out on Monday, which found for-profit colleges had received over $32 billion in federal taxpayer subsidies while boasting a more than 50 percent dropout rate.

Watch the video, uploaded by the Republic Report to YouTube on June 30.