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§ Private Profile · Computer Learning Centre Nairobi, 2nd Floor, Museum Hill Centre, 87 Muthithi Road, Westlands, Nairobi
A vocational training provider offering professional IT education for aspiring computer professionals and operations personnel.
Key people at Computer Learning Center.
Computer Learning Center was founded in 1999 by Pavan Nigam (Founder).
Led by key executives including CEO Reid Bechtle, CFO Charles L Cosgrove, and Chairman Harry H Gaines, Computer Learning Center was a Fairfax, Virginia-based vocational education company originally founded in 1967. The institution provided specialized training programs in systems management, data entry, and computer operations to prepare aspiring computer center personnel for careers in the IT sector. Operating as a publicly traded entity on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol CLCX, the organization generated its revenue primarily through tuition fees for its technical vocational training programs. Through strategic corporate acquisitions, the enterprise successfully expanded its curriculum to offer comprehensive professional IT education across multiple specialized schools focused on technical computer professionals. At its operational peak in 1998, the company maintained a substantial workforce of 1,600 employees and reported impressive annual sales reaching 97 million dollars.
Key people at Computer Learning Center.
Computer Learning Center was founded in 1999 by Pavan Nigam (Founder).
Computer Learning Centers, Inc. (CLC) was a for-profit education company specializing in information technology (IT) training for adults seeking entry-level jobs in computer-related fields.[1][2] Founded in 1967 in Fairfax, Virginia, it offered courses in areas like client/server programming, databases, network engineering, IT support, and computer systems, positioning itself as one of the oldest and largest U.S. school systems dedicated solely to training computer professionals.[1][2] By 1998, CLC operated 23 schools in the U.S. and three in Canada, enrolling 12,000 students, with $97 million in revenue and 1,600 employees; it grew through acquisitions but is now defunct.[1][2][5]
The company served career changers and job seekers by addressing the demand for skilled IT workers, solving the skills gap in emerging technologies during the 1990s tech boom.[1][2] Its growth momentum peaked in the late 1990s with steady enrollment increases—from 6,500 students in 1995 to 12,000 by 1998—but halted after it ceased operations, as confirmed by business records.[2][5]
CLC traces its roots to 1967, when the original Computer Learning Center in Fairfax, Virginia, began teaching systems management, data entry, and computer operations to personnel in computer centers.[1][2] The company's early history was defined by aggressive expansion via acquisitions and mergers: in 1968, it bought International Tabulation Institutes (founded 1957 in Los Angeles); later deals included Boston Education Corporation (1997, serving 650 students), Markerdowne Corporation (1998, Paramus, NJ, 800 students), and Delta College (1998, Montreal, 800 students).[1][2]
This roll-up strategy fueled growth amid rising IT demand in the 1990s, with revenue climbing from $40 million in 1995 (eight schools) to $97 million by fiscal 1998.[2] Key figures are not individually named in records, but the focus evolved from basic operations training to advanced IT programs matching technologies like client/server systems.[1][2] Pivotal traction came from enrollment surges during the dot-com era, netting $9.6 million in 1998 profits before the company's closure.[2][5]
CLC rode the 1990s IT skills explosion, capitalizing on the shift from mainframes to client/server architectures and network engineering amid the internet and dot-com boom.[1][2] Its timing aligned with massive demand for trained professionals, as businesses adopted PCs and enterprise systems faster than traditional education could respond—evident in enrollment jumps from 8,500 (1997) to 12,000 (1998).[2]
Market forces like tech hiring surges favored CLC, enabling it to grow revenue fivefold in three years while competitors like DeVry scaled larger.[2] It influenced the ecosystem by flooding the workforce with entry-level IT talent, but its for-profit model and post-dot-com bust vulnerabilities led to closure, highlighting risks in rapid-expansion education tied to tech cycles.[5]
CLC exemplified the short-lived boom in private IT bootcamps during the late-1990s tech hype, thriving on skills demand but collapsing amid the 2000 dot-com crash and regulatory scrutiny on for-profit schools—it's confirmed out of business with no ongoing operations.[5] No revival is evident, as modern equivalents like coding bootcamps (e.g., General Assembly) have evolved with online models and shorter programs.
Shaping its legacy: Trends toward lifelong tech reskilling persist, but CLC's story warns of over-reliance on economic bubbles. Its influence endures indirectly through alumni in IT, tying back to its origins as a pioneer in professional computer training that grew with the field itself.[1]
