Absolutely best school in the area. Here is a school where you can tell the teachers care. The…read morestudents seem to love it and the plays they put on are amazing. The cosmetology shop does an amazing job and afterwards going to the resturant is a wonderful treat the sweets are great and the meal is done very well. Everyone at this school works hard and does a great job!

This place is fantastic! I've been obsessed with reading about woodworking of all sorts whether it…read morebe magazines, books, you tube videos, etc. I have had a harder time time actually committing any of this newfound book knowledge to use because of the lack of tools. Unfortunately woodworking is one of those hobbies that by and large require a large assortment of tools to do various projects. While many of these tools can be useful for even the regular homeowner into DIY (router, band saw, table saw, palm sander, various hand tools) several other tools are needed depending on the project. While I own most of the tools mentioned above one I don't have is the lathe. It's also one of those tools that I couldn't justify buying without trying because a) Wood spinning at 1000rpm is a little scary b) I would prefer to have some instruction prior to purchase c) Why spend the money on a machine for it to collect dust because I'm just not that into it. Enter Easthampton School of Woodworking/The Workbench. Aside from offering an intensive 6 month cabinet building program they also offer several weeknight and weekend classes that cover various topics. I perused through their list of available classes and saw an introductory lathe class for $80 which accounted for the material for the mallet you would make and also the 6 hours of instruction. Not too shabby. Location/Amenities: This place is pretty flipping stellar Its housed in an old factory building with several different rooms setup with various workbenches for use with hand tools, large woodworking power machinery, and in the back is a room with their lathes available for classes and open shop time. Instructor: Our class was taught by Brian who attended the North Bennet Street School of Woodworking (pretty esteemed school). He did a great job of giving our class of 5 individual instruction when necessary and also partitioning out the group instruction in manageable pieces so as not to inundate us with information. Open Shop Time: While I haven't used this resource I can see where it would be amazing. Aside from having the wood necessary for the project, the amount of machines necessary to dimension rough cut lumber can be quite expensive and take up a lot of space in your workshop area. Many people can't justify the space or the expense to own these machines, or perhaps they're reluctant to buy any of the big power tools because of cost or safety hazards of the machines. The great thing about this place is on Thursdays from 6:30-9:30PM they have open shop where once you demonstrate you can safely use their machines you can log in to a computer that tracks your hours (~$10/hr), and use their machinery. Not only do you have access to their machines but you also can use the staff that is overseeing open shop to ask for help if you run into an issue. I personally don't own a jointer/planer (needed for dimensioning lumber), but I would certainly use theirs and save quite a bit of money buying the wood rough cut vice s4s (smooth on all sides) and finishing it myself. Overall: It was an awesome experience and I'm currently searching Craigslist and auctions for a quality vintage lathe (I'm a sucker for anything old). It's pretty amazing turning a straight piece of wood into a useable tool in the course of an hour. Highly recommended if you have an interest for woodworking, or would like access to larger tools that you may not own. This would also be a good gift for a spouse, sign them up for a class, who doesn't like a guy/girl that can create something with their own two hands.

Had an awesome time at Mark's Herb Chopper class! It was a very fun and relaxed space - perfect for…read morenewbies just learning how to swing a hammer. The instruction was excellent and I'm very happy with how the piece turned out. Would definitely go back for another round!

From the owner: We offer blacksmithing classes for everyone. Come and learn how to forge red hot steel in a working…read moreblacksmith shop. No experience necessary - we will provide everything for you and teach you this ancient art. We have classes that will teach you how to make hand forged items including fire pokers, towel rails, knives, and axes. We are real live Forged in Fire blacksmiths

Entering the automotive program was a big deal for me, as i didn't know pretty much anything about…read morevehicles when i started. a few months in while i did very well at the program i realized this wasn't the place for me to be at. The main instructor was in my eyes a very big " bully " between threatening me with expulsion countless times for things other students where saying, and constantly talking down to me in a rude manner. Constantly being told this was not a " Safe Place " for " Little Fairy's ". I decided to leave PCI for greener pastors and save my money for a place that cares about its students instead of protect someone who should not be in the teaching field. When reporting this teacher multiple times to the office, i was told " This isn't High school and i should get over it " The other instructor who was abit older was very much like-able and was willing to teach you anything you wanted to know. while the main teacher would sit and watch for 2 - 3 hours an then just do it himself with out teaching a thing. I do not recommend this trade at this school, save your money an go somewhere where you are respected and valued.

I signed up for the electrician program with the promise that career services would actually help…read moreme find a job after I graduated. Instead, this place has been a complete waste of money. During the school year, we have gone through 5, that's five, instructors. I can see why there is such a large turnover, there is never enough material for lab, and nearly all the equipment and devices are completely smoked. For the hefty price tag of 33k a year one would expect some a. continuity of learning b. a lab space that is conducive to actually learning, which it is not. The tool boxes that they have for use during the labs are gutted, and the tools that go missing or break, are simply not replaced. Many students end up bringing in their own tools, just to get through the labs. On top of all of this, the material that they "teach" the students is outdated, hailing from the 2020 code book, when we are a year into the 2023 code book. Now mind you, why are we learning old material? Well the director has said, hey you've got a new code book and the old stuff, you can just reference your new code book for the actual answers, whereas all the testing is done through the old material. I'm telling you right now, do not waste your money on this school. It is a waste of time and effort for an education with no help to gain employment and to where you will learn old material. I would recommend trying to get into the local electrical union or try Wayne Griffen for your education. At least there you are given a job right off the bat and an up to date education that will help you in your journey to becoming an journeyman electrician. Good luck and if you do end up coming to this school, you will certainly regret it within a few weeks.

This is my personal review. Ralph Sanchez. Graduated on April 19th and passed my CDL Class A exam…read moreon my first attempt. I came into this school with a mindset of i cant fail because this is what I wanted to do, I came from the auto industry as a car sales man, I had never driven a tractor trailer with a fifth wheel before, when I got there I was like wow am here, we had 14 students in my class. A few had never driven before a few had class b and were transitioning to class A. Instructors like Ligon, Rosanna, Pat, Jim and Steve and the main instructor Phill did a amazing job on teaching me how to operate safely this rig. I couldn't do it correctly for the first week I was getting frustrated and I thought maybe this wasn't for me, they settled me down, broke down everything for me step by step. And on my second week of training it all started making sense, everything I learned on the class room to pass my permit test and everything they thought me to pass my driving test on my very first attempt. Everyone was very helpful specially Phill and Ligon on straight back, offset and parallel maneuvers ,And Rosanna on the driving when you go on the road with her you will learn the mustard and mayo technic of staying in your lane .. Thank you Nico my recruiter. And shay my class manager .. I start my new job as a class A driver this following month in June.. also my classmate helped me out a lot. I recommend this school to all who really want something new in their career and trust in the system it works. But you also have to put in the work ..

The instructions at the Cdl school are AMAZING, they know what they're doing and they are very…read morepassionate about doing it! I appreciate Phil and all of the instructors there lots of love and respect to all of them. Hands down good energy, good vibes and lots of compassion! From having no trucking experience day one to passing my test on the FIRST TRY! They are AMAZING at what they do! I want to say thanks a lot for EVERYTHING, the cdl school holds a special place in my heart !