Hi All,

I'm contemplating switching fields from Automotive to IT if things don't go well. I came across FDM Group Canada which is an IT service provider. This is how it works:
1. Submit your resume.
2. They will review it & call u for interview / written tests.
3. Once cleared, they will sign u up for a 2 year contract.
4. They will give u 3-4 months intensive training (QA, Java etc) during which u get no pay.
5. Then clear their client interviews & grab a job with their client.
6. After training, ur 2 year contract will start. During this period, u get around 43K per year while working at their client place.

This is what I have gathered from the internet. But I want to know the personal experiences of CDs. Has anyone completed the above procedures or enrolled there? Have you been successful after that? Is it worth it? I'm still not sure if it's a good idea to shun my 8 years Automotive exp. n start as a fresher in IT.

Your advice or experience is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Looks too good to be ever true, and that too in India.
Just google "FDM SCam" and you will get the scam news. The following is from their UK office :


I actually went to their assessment centre after that ridiculously easy telephone interview I mentioned in my OP. Just to give you heads up if you get invited and decide to go: they first will give you a presentation (which is basically the video on youtube/their website whateva), then they'll split you up into groups of five and ask you to imagine you are a famous person from history (you choose who) and you are on a sinking boat with the other four people and the boat can only hold one person, and basically you have to argue as to why you should be the one who remains on the boat and not get chucked off. The next activity is an individual interview. Then they will give you a written test to see your basic knowledge of IT. Then finally they will give a long presentation where someone from HR comes and talks about 'the contract'...

I didn't get an offer but if I did I wouldn't have accepted it anyway. Its not worth it. The training is for twelve weeks 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri in which you are not paid and you are expected to turn up every day and on time...and by the way, if you don't turn up a day or two without what they deem as a good reason or they think you are not making satisfactory progress they have the right to cancel they contract and you therefore have to pay for the training which is £20,000!!!

After the training is complete, you are tied to them for two years. Basically, they are your employer for two years and if you break this and refuse to work for them, again you pay the £20K. They will try to trick you saying that if they don't find you work within 90 days, then the contract terminates and you are no longer bound to them, but if you read the contract properly (which you should do if you go, they'll give you a copy to read), it does not say what kind of work, so you might be after a Java Developer role for example (like I was) and they can ship you off to a bank to work as an IT Technician and you have to do it.

If you do go though, make sure to ask them lots of questions, bombard them with questions, especially after they give the presentation about the contract. And most of all, DON'T SIGN ANYTHING.

I was in the same boat as you in 2002 but I opted min. wage job in my field. In 2009, I tried to shift my career using second career but after 6 months into the course, I found that you either needed working experience or contacts (like a friend) to get you an IT job.

So venture out, only if someone can get you a job.

Murali

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Such programs are suitable for Computer Science graduates (degree/diploma holders) who are unable to secure the job on their own. If someone offers you free training, they have to recover the cost from the contract. It is not an easy task for a non-IT person to jump in and start programming in Java up to industry required standard within 4 months. Manual QA may be possible but it is also highly competitive.

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SCAM !!

Lot of head hunters and recruiting agencies and training centres prey on immigrants and jobless over here.

When you hear words like contract , guaranteed job , upfront fees , bond , NO experience necessary etc then stay away from them. If its too easy to get in its a scam !

Do not sign anything on the spot NO matter how much they pressurise you. Take some time , go home read it carefully before you do anything. Ask some tough questions , when you go there and do your homework. They are NOT doing you any favours..so Don't be afraid of them or feel intimidated by them.

Indians have a complex when they meet White people..they have a complex about their accent, and about their skin colour..teach these fools a lesson and put them in their place..he he

No one can guarantee you a job over here. I repeat NO ONE !

Besides a proper university like Ryerson , University of Toronto , York university ...or proper community college like Seneca, Humber , Centennial, Sheridan college ..don't really go anywhere else.

Lot of Bull Shit private training centres started by desis, chinese and even White people to take money from people by promising them the moon..you will just waste your time and energy and money at these places. You will get NO job , NO skill and NO training at tbese places..the only training will be How to waste your life and money at these BS private colleges, training centres and academic centres.

If you go for a community college, try to find a course with good course content and co-op. Some programs are very theoretical. Lot of international students are coming to Canada to try for PR via study route, so some of the mediocre programs are also running full.

Companies like FDM exist because for new graduates even in IT, it is a challenge to land the first job (especially those who did not have co-op option). New immigrants also have a tough time but if they are technically skilled in IT and have at least few years of experience, they do not really need to go for companies like FDM.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by AutomotiveEngineer

Hi All,

I'm contemplating switching fields from Automotive to IT if things don't go well. I came across FDM Group Canada which is an IT service provider. This is how it works:
1. Submit your resume.
2. They will review it & call u for interview / written tests.
3. Once cleared, they will sign u up for a 2 year contract.
4. They will give u 3-4 months intensive training (QA, Java etc) during which u get no pay.
5. Then clear their client interviews & grab a job with their client.
6. After training, ur 2 year contract will start. During this period, u get around 43K per year while working at their client place.

This is what I have gathered from the internet. But I want to know the personal experiences of CDs. Has anyone completed the above procedures or enrolled there? Have you been successful after that? Is it worth it? I'm still not sure if it's a good idea to shun my 8 years Automotive exp. n start as a fresher in IT.

Your advice or experience is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

---

September , all colleges & universities will be starting. You will meet high level peeps & educated peeps over there. You will make good networking over there. Plus you will get the Canadian education stamp, which is very useful on your resume

Lot of good solid 1 yr courses will be available in the field you want. They will cost $$$$ , but its better than wasting your time & life doing crap survival jobs ( dead end jobs ) & going to crap resource centres like ACCESS Employment, YMCA , Skils For Change..these guys will do nothing for you !

If you had come here as an international student you would have paid 4 times that amount. so the $ 5,000 course would have been $ 20,000 ..so that way you are still better off going to a good college or university over here as a PR

Everyone knows the morons & idiots over there just tell you 2 things : Resume Making & Interview Skills..& they are NOT even good at that . They are just there to fleece the government out of tax payer's money. Both they & the gov. just want to show, something is being done for immigrants.

But avoid private colleges & training insititutions/centres like plague, employers hardly recognise them ..peeps go there bcoz they want a short cut, but they just end up wasting their time & money over there

So ONLY go to the following reputed Colleges & Universities :

1. University of Toronto
2. Ryerson University
3. York University

1. Humber College
2. Seneca College
3. Centennial College
4. Sheridan College
5. George Brown College