History

Originally founded as the Porter School of Engineering Design in Hartford, Connecticut in 1946, Porter and Chester Institute (PCI) has enjoyed a long history of training New England’s workforce for success across a wide range of vocational professions. From our first career school and its early program offerings, we have expanded to nine locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts that now offer 10 career training programs with academic curriculums based on the needs of our students and area employers.

In 1973, the Porter School of Engineering Design and the Chester Institute for Technical Education of Stratford, Connecticut, became one institution. Subsequently, the name Porter and Chester Institute was adopted, and the curricula contents and operational policies of the two institutions were standardized. At the same time, the Porter School, which was located in Rocky Hill Connecticut, became the Rocky Hill Campus of Porter and Chester Institute.

In response to the increasing demand for PCI graduates, a campus was established in Waterbury, CT in 1977 (moved in 1986 to Watertown, CT). As opportunities continued to expand, in 1979 the Enfield, CT campus was added to serve central Connecticut, as well as southwestern Massachusetts. As the Enfield campus continued to grow the demand from Western Massachusetts led to the decision in 1993 to open a campus in Chicopee, MA to more directly serve that market.

In August 1995, the stockholders of PCI purchased the Connecticut School of Electronics (CSE). CSE was established in 1947 in New Haven, CT. In 1996, to accommodate its growing enrollment and expansion plans, CSE moved from New Haven to larger quarters in Branford, Connecticut and was renamed Porter and Chester Institute of Branford.

As demand for quality technical education continued to grow the decision was made to begin expanding our Massachusetts presence into the eastern part of state. In 2003 PCI opened a campus in Westborough, MA followed a few years later by Canton, MA in 2009.

In an effort to better serve our local markets we relocated two campus locations. First, in October of 2014, the Westborough campus was moved to Worcester where the majority or our students attending that campus came from. Then in October of 2016 we moved our Watertown campus to the more convenient Waterbury location that resulted in less travel and easier accessibility for both our students as well as our staff.

As its history indicates, Porter and Chester Institute is an experienced, consistent provider of technical, career-focused education and health related occupational preparation. Its history also reveals that the Institute is dedicated not only to its students but also to the community in general.

PCI Mission, Vision and Values

Our Mission is to support committed students in achieving the technical and professional skills essential for their chosen career through industry-modeled, student-centered education and training.

Our Values: Professionalism, Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence, Trust, Relationships, Accountability, Having Fun

Our Vision is to grow our school with quality and integrity, through the collaborative pursuit of excellence by:

• Delivering a high-quality, industry-modeled learning environment for students
• Actively supporting our students, our employees, the employers of our graduates, and our communities
• Being recognized as the preeminent career education and training school in our geographic regions, a valuable partner in the communities we serve, and a great place to work

Educational Philosophy

We never lose sight of our core mission to support committed students in achieving the technical and professional skills essential for their chosen career through industry-modeled, student-centered education and training. We accomplish this mission by following these core tenets of career education and training excellence:

• Deliver relevant content in a high quality learning environment
• Build a positive work atmosphere based on mutual respect
• Meet the employment needs of our students, area employers and the community at large
• Promote professional growth

At Porter and Chester Institute, we expect great things from our students and graduates –and they do not disappoint.

Porter and Chester Institute Catalog

Review our Course Catalog for specific program information

Porter and Chester Institute Annual Security Report

View our Annual Security Report

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Policy

View our Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Policy

Information for Guidance Counselors

View Information for Guidance Counselors

Title IX Compliance

Visit our Title IX Compliance page

Transparency in Coverage

» https://www.cigna.com/legal/compliance/machine-readable-files
This link leads to the machine-readable files that are made available in response to the federal Transparency in Coverage Rule and includes negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data.