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Five local graduates of the failed Everest College say they were left high and dry after the career school shut down operations last February and did not provide them with the diplomas they need to find jobs in their field.

And the Ontario government, they say, put the final screw in their backs.

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The five immigrant women are all saddled with significant student loans after enrolling in the career college’s year-long medical lab technician/assistant program. But instead of starting new careers with a decent wage, the women, some with young families, continue to work in minimum-wage jobs.

Semhar Habtemariam, a 32-year-old who arrived in Canada five years ago from the African country of Eritrea, works as a personal support worker, on-call. She moved in with her sister to make ends meet and owes $19,000 on her student loan.

Jillian Ayegran, 35, completed her course placement at a local blood lab, but was told she needed her diploma if she wants to get a job there. “I have nothing” to show for her studies, says the Burmese woman, whose student loan amounts to $20,000. Married and a mother of one, Ayegran works as a housekeeper.