JBC computer ltd

Discussion in 'New Members Introduction' started by hazzaldo, Oct 2, 2007.

  1. hazzaldo

    hazzaldo New Member

    1
    0
    1
    Hi all,

    I'm seeking advice from the knowledgable and experienced people in CertForums about what I've been offered, how difficult, true and what are the chances from benefiting from this opportunity:
    I've been offered a sponsored IT course in Microsoft, Cisco and generic technologies, which lasts for 7 weeks, from a company in coventry called JBC computer ltd. The usual cost of this programme is £3549, with full funding (hence I don't have to pay any training fee). I will need to pay for admission fee of £100 and books & materials £350.They say that this course combined with their career development support has been a vehicle for 1000s of individuals to make the transition into rewarding employment. As I've mentioned before the course is fully sponsored and the company assured me that I won't have to pay anything back afterward or even when I'm employed (It's fully sponsored). So what do you know about the reputation of this company and how credible is the sounding of this course, its benefits and the subsequent prospects.

    Many Thanks CertForums,

    Hareth
     
  2. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

    8,878
    181
    256
    Sorry Hazzaldo i don't understand.. who is funding you to take this course and why? 3549 pounds is an awful lot of money for someone to fork out. People generally want their pound of flesh for dishing out dosh :)

    As Freddy Freeloader commented in another thread recently, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is".
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  3. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

    19,183
    500
    414
    Run away!!!! :ohmy

    I wholeheartedly agree with Blue (and Freddy).
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  4. wizard

    wizard Petabyte Poster

    5,767
    42
    174
    Hi there and welcome 8)

    Never heard of the company, I'd steer clear and go the self study route, also what IT experience do you currently have?
     
    Certifications: SIA DS Licence
    WIP: A+ 2009
  5. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

    5,257
    220
    236
    Fully funded by what?

    Sponsored by who?
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD
  6. wizard

    wizard Petabyte Poster

    5,767
    42
    174
    [​IMG]? :twisted:
     
    Certifications: SIA DS Licence
    WIP: A+ 2009
  7. Paul_o

    Paul_o Nibble Poster

    86
    0
    11
    I can vouch for the training they do, i am currently 3/4 through their course now, i am doing the training during my holidays. i was recommended JBC by an ex student who is doing IT consultancy now. they do offer sponsored training, not sure how it works but i do know they are connected somehow with the Coventry Uni. i know that Robster on here has found a job after the course. all i can say is go on one of their open days and see what they have to offer. But be under no illusions of them handing you a job on a plate, its down to you to find a job but they give you a great deal of advice on writing cv's and interview techniques.
    I am not connected with JBC in any way just a satisfied customer, and i paid 4K for my course so if you can get it for £350 i would certainly thing about it.
     
    Certifications: C&G Advanced diploma in network support
  8. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

    4,196
    172
    211
    Does the course aim to certify you? Or is it just an introduction to the technologies? If it certifies you, what are the certs? If its an intro/overview, then 7 weeks sounds fair, maybe. For certification i would think it would take longer.

    Who are offering to sponsor you? What do they expect to get from it? If they are sponsoring you, and paying around 3k in fees, I can pretty much guarantee you that they will want something in return. No-one (especially not businesses) spend that amount of money on someone without expecting some sort of return on investment. Unless its a government scheme, which is possible i suppose.

    I would take your time on this and make sure you are fully aware of everything before you sign up to anything.
     
    Certifications: ITIL Foundation; MCTS: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration
    WIP: None at present
  9. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

    3,661
    106
    167
    I'd be really leery of any course that says it's going to get me certified in multiple areas in 7 weeks. It took me more than 2 1/2 years of hard work to earn my certs. And, that was after I'd spent almost a 1.5 years working for a website doing some database, firewall, IIS server, and user support.

    My A+ alone took me 10 weeks of full time study. And I mean full-time. I studied 12+ hours a day 6 days a week. I nearly aced it too, but still, I spent 3 more weeks for just that one cert than this entire course takes. The number of hours it took me to do my MCSE are almost without count. It was in the thousands of hours. My CCNA probably took me 3 months of 6 days a week, 12+ hours a day, studying.

    I'd say that anyone who says they can take a newbie and actually get them thoroughly enough grounded in all the concepts covered in multiple certs in 7 weeks so that they will be qualified to work in an IT is flat out lying. There's just too much ground to cover, and too much information to process for that to happen. I'm not completely stupid, and it sure took a lot longer than 7 weeks for me to learn to be able to actually contribute something, and I still consider myself to be a noob who's just starting to learn the ropes.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  10. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    me too
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  11. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

    6,624
    117
    224
    But no certifications have been mentioned!

    If this is just an intro to these various parts of IT then the time given is reasonable.

    Harry.
     
    Certifications: ECDL A+ Network+ i-Net+
    WIP: Server+
  12. Paul_o

    Paul_o Nibble Poster

    86
    0
    11
    at the end of the course you are certified by city and guilds. as such the course is very hands on and follows the A+ and N+ study notes. obviously over 7 weeks you can not go to deep but you certainly go deep enough to cope with an entry level post in IT. or even a level two position depending on your previous pc knowledge.
     
    Certifications: C&G Advanced diploma in network support
  13. fatp

    fatp Byte Poster

    196
    7
    44
    Hi.

    What sort of salary level would someone look to obtain after taking this course.
    What is the roundabout figure for such as entry level position; about 18K or is that too Optimistic on my behalf?

    Can anyone help?

    FatP :D :D
     
  14. Paul_o

    Paul_o Nibble Poster

    86
    0
    11
    i think that salary levels vary so much in IT that its hard to give an answer to that. if you are lucky then i can't see why 18k should not be acheivable. but most employers only want to pay the mininum they can for entry level posts.
     
    Certifications: C&G Advanced diploma in network support
  15. ciscopaul

    ciscopaul Bit Poster

    24
    3
    8
    Hi Hareth,

    Most people on the forum will not know about JBC since that company is in Coventry and not a big name in IT training. I know the owner because we worked in the police together for 2 years and his family and the company have been doing IT training for over 10 years so they are legitimate.

    It would be better to ask them how they are funding the course if you are not clear on that part. I do know they have a good track record and train a large amount of people leaving the armed forces to help retrain them into IT careers. They also have a lot of clients whom they provide IT support and installation servies for.

    I have never been on their courses so I can't comment on the quality but i'm sure they would let you sit in and meet the trainers if you asked so better to go to the source than seek opinions as many will just tell you to walk away from a course that could potentially be very good for you.

    For that money you appear to have nothing to lose.

    All the best

    Paul
     
  16. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

    4,196
    172
    211
    I have to disagree with you there Paul. Whilst I agree that its a good idea, if you can, to see if you can meet the trainers, and maybe sit in on a class, I still think that seeking the opinions of others.

    The staff at the company will simply spout propaganda for their company (which may or may not be entirely true). After all, its in their interest to do so. After all, a company is likely to say something like: "Well, actually, our course material is pish. You would be better just flushing it down the toilet and trying to learn the material by reading the serial numbers on the back of your PC!", are they? They are going to tell you anything they can to get the sale. Including, on occassion, that you are the perfect candidate for the course. Seeking third party advice is just good practice.

    And, whilst we here may not know the company or the course, we do have a collectively extensive knowledge of most of the certifications. Most of us are of the opinion that you couldnt comprehensively study and understand a single certification subject in 7 weeks (theres the odd exception to this of course, especially if you already know the material and are just going over the course to learn their way of doing things before getting certified). If this training course says it will certify you in MS, Cisco, etc certs, all in 7 weeks, then its highly likely its outright lying (or assuming that you already know all the stuff anyway, and they are just refreshing your memory).

    As far as I can see, people here are providing well-balanced advice: Get more info, make an informed decision based on knowledge of what they offer, what exactly you are getting from the course, and generally held opinions on any of the certs in question (such as average timescale from a complete novice to certified).

    As for having nothing to lose? That might be the case if you have plenty of money, but for the average person, even 350 quid is a fair amount of money and, if its not up to par, thats a complete waste of money. Its not much compared to the 4k it could have cost you, but its still a lot of money for most people starting out in the industry.
     
    Certifications: ITIL Foundation; MCTS: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration
    WIP: None at present
  17. MrNerdy

    MrNerdy Megabyte Poster

    544
    4
    0
    What is your current level of experience in IT?
    7 weeks is a VERY short time learn & to pass different IT exams.
    What are the qualifications they are offering?
    Why have you been offered this 'great deal'?
    It may look a great deal but you really need to look into it more.
    No IT company is going to offer you £4k of training for £350!

    Find out from your local trading standards if they have had any complaints about the company?

    PS: Are you currently unemployed?
     
    Certifications: ECDL, CiscoIT1 & A+
    WIP: Girlfriend & Network+
  18. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

    3,661
    106
    167
    You have to be kidding me. That's the equivalent of around $36,000 a year here in the US. No one who gets less than two months of training, and with no previous IT experience, is going to be qualified for a salary like that. He is far more likely start out at around half that if he's lucky enough to find a job.

    Why in the world do people think that a job as complex and as involved as IT is can be learned in less than 2 months? I just don't get it. IT is a job that requires a life time of learning, and has as stringent requirements for technical knowledge as any job there is. Yet the myth persists that you can earn a decent salary with what basically amounts to no training, that the money just flows. The reality of the IT job market in Europe and the US is that millions of IT jobs have been outsourced to places such as India. The job market for those positions that are left is extremely competitive and heavily favors the employers, not prospective employees. For people wanting to break into the IT field it's cut throat competition, and they are competing with a lot of desperate, out-of-work people who have IT experience on their side. For the rookie, it's a very rough row to hoe. Many people, including myself, after 10 times more training have to give away their labor to find that initial on-the-job experience.

    You are doing no one a favor by giving them unrealistic expectations. All that will happen is that the person will become very discouraged if they go into this with dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads. They need to start this knowing it's going to be long hard slog if they want to succeed.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  19. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

    4,196
    172
    211
    To be fair Freddy, its not quite as simple as that. When I first started in IT, on a servicedesk job, I was paid £12000 a year. And thats actually being underpaid for the job and the area.

    IT jobs in the UK, in general, will pay at least 12k (I dont think I've ever been aware of one that paid less - even without experience - maybe, at a push, as low as 10k, but certainly not below that.). I've even known one or two which have actually paid 18k as entry level.

    Its one of the reasons that we were worried about our jobs at my old work when we were merging with the American side. We reasoned that to pay someone in america the exact equivalent of my wage would cost the company $30000. They could easily get someone in the US to do what I did for a direct numerical equivalent ($15000), so why would they want to keep me on?
     
    Certifications: ITIL Foundation; MCTS: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration
    WIP: None at present
  20. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

    3,661
    106
    167
    Hmmm.... Must be a cost of living thing then as I doubt that employers in the UK are any more generous than US employers, human nature being what it is. IT job wages vary here from area to area too, but even at that a $36,000 a year job would not be considered entry level in the vast majority of areas. I suppose in NYC entry level might be somewhere near that, but the cost-of-living index there is extremely high. From everything I have seen, and in my current job I have access to loads of current data in the employment statistics area, nation-wide the entry level technician jobs are around $10/hour, or $20,000/yr for a tech. That number can vary pretty widely though. In a lot of areas the newbie couldn't expect much more than $7.50/hour, otherwise known to me as a "starvation wage" or legally known as the state-mandated "minimum wage".
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.